Simple Solid

Simple Solid

BASIC ANALYSIS

6-1

Simple Solid

6-2
Model Description:

This example is used to show some simple solid modeling while keeping the number of nodes of
the solid mesh under the 300 node limit of the demonstration version.

Simple Solid

6-3

Exercise Procedure:

BASIC ANALYSIS

1. Create the geometry.

Geometry/Solid/Primitives...

OK
Click the View Style toolbar button.

Render
Click the Dynamic Rotate toolbar button.

Rotate to the isometric view shown. (Use the Left Mouse Button.)
V1

OK
Set up points used to define our cutting plane.
Geometry/Point...

Methods^

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6-4

Midpoint
Click curves 4,9,10 in any order and press OK after each selection.
V1

10

9
4
Y

Cancel
Geometry/Solid/Slice...
Select Solid 1.

OK
The plane definition dialog box is shown, but before filling in the boxes, set the Snap mode to
Point.
Right Click on screen.

Snap To Point
or... you could have also clicked the Snap To Point toolbar button.

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6-5

Click the three points created previously in any order, then the dialog boxes will be automatically
filled out for you.
BASIC ANALYSIS

OK

Delete/Geometry/Solid...
Select the sliced top-corner section as indicated (Solid 1).

OK
Yes
View/Autoscale

(Ctrl-A)

Tools/Workplane...

On Surface...

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6-6

Select surface 9, and points 19, then 18 to set the workplane on the top surface.
V1

18

9
19

On Surface:

At Point:

19

Axis Point:

18

OK
Geometry/Curve - Line/Rectangle...

Methods^
Locate in Workplane

X:

0.2

Y:

0.1

OK

X:

0.8

Y:

0.4

OK

The rectangle should appear within surface 9.

Geometry/Boundary Surface...

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6-7

Select the four curves of the rectangle (Curve 25, 26, 27, & 28).

BASIC ANALYSIS

OK
Geometry/Solid/Extrude...

Material:

l Add - Protrusion

Direction:

l Positive

Length:

l To Depth

0.25

Surface...

Select the rectangular boundary surface created in the previous step (Surface
13).
OK
OK
Geometry/Solid/Fillet...
Select the four curves at the base of the newly extruded solid (Curve 37, 38, 39, & 40).

OK
Radius:
OK

0.1

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6-8

View this model as a solid. We are done creating the geometry.

Turn off the workplane. Right Click on screen.

Workplane...
Uncheck Draw Workplane.
Draw Workplane

Done
View/Autoscale

(Ctrl-A)

Click the View Style toolbar button.

Solid
This puts you in the OpenGL graphics mode.

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6-9

2. Apply loads to the model.

B
Model/Load/On Surface...

Title:

load

OK
Select the side surface A as indicated (Surface 15).

OK
Select the load type.

Force Per Area

Direction:

l Normal to Surface

Magnitude:

-500

OK
Cancel
3. Apply constraints to the model.
Model/Constraint/On Surface...

Title:
OK

constraint

BASIC ANALYSIS

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6-10

Select the bottom surface, B, as shown (Surface 2).

OK
DOF:

l Fixed

OK
Cancel
4. Mesh the solid.
Mesh/Geometry/Solids...
The default values for solid meshing determined by MSC/N4W are usually adequate to produce a
good mesh. However, in this case we want a coarser mesh in order to keep the number of nodes
down below 300. Enter an element size of 0.2.

Element Size:

0.2

OK
Load...
Library Entry:

7075-T651 Al Plate .25-.5

OK

Note:
Remember, there are no units in MSC/N4W. All dimensions must be kept consistent with the unit
system you used to define your material properties. Always make sure this is correct from the
beginning because there is no way to correct inconsistencies in units once the model is built.

OK
Uncheck Midside Nodes.
Midside Nodes

OK

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6-11

Note:

The model is now ready for analysis.

5. Get acquainted with postprocessing.

For this example we included an MSC/N4W model file with results that you can use for postprocessing. If you ran your own analysis, you may use those results.
File/Open...
Find the mscn4w30\examples directory and choose the msolidp.mod file.

File name:

msolidp.mod

Open
If you wish to save the model you built, please do so. Otherwise, select No to move on.

No
This section will take you through some of the ways you can use MSC/N4W to view the analysis
results.

Click the Quick Options toolbar button or press (Ctrl-Q).

Quick Options

Geometry Off
Labels Off
Done

BASIC ANALYSIS

Turning off the automatic insertion of midside nodes is not a recommended practice for any model,
because the four noded tetrahedral elements will behave too stiffly to get accurate answers. It is
only done here to keep the number of nodes below 300.

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View/Select...

(F5)

Deformed Style:

l Deform

Contour Style:

l Contour

Deformed and Contour Data...

Output Set:

1..MSC/NASTRAN Case 1

Deformation:

1..Total Translation

Contour:

60031..Solid Von Mises Stress

OK
OK
Click the Dynamic Display toolbar button.

Dynamic Display

Rotate the view to see the deformations and contours on all sides of the model. (Click left mouse
button and drag.)

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6-13

When done viewing:

OK

Adjust the slider bar to move the cutting plane through the model.

Define a different cutting

Plane...

plane using the plane definition dialog box. Press the Dynamic Display button to rotate the view
of the cutting plane.

OK
When done:

OK
View/Advanced Post/Dynamic IsoSurface...
Adjust the slider bar to change the value of the isosurface being shown. The isosurface itself is calculated from the output vector chosen for the contour vector. Put a value in the Value box and
press Apply to see an isosurface at that value. Rotate the view if you like.

When done:

OK
View/Select...

Contour Style:

(F5)

l IsoSurface

BASIC ANALYSIS

View/Advanced Post/Dynamic Cutting Plane...

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6-14
OK

View/Options...

(F6)

Category:

l PostProcessing

Options:

IsoSurface

Contour Deformed

Apply
You can view a different isosurface by changing the IsoSurface At value.

IsoSurface At:

(any)

Apply
OK
Use View / Advanced Post / Dynamic IsoSurface... to dynamically change the isosurface value.
View / Advanced Post / Dynamic IsoSurface...
When done:

OK
View/Select...

(F5)

Deformed Style:

l Animate

Contour Style:

l Contour

OK
View/Options...

(F6)

Category:

l PostProcessing

Options:

Animated Style

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Change the number of Frames to get a smoother animation. Increase the Delay to slow down the
animation.

Select the Contour/Criteria Levels option. Check the Animate box to animate the contour colors
along with the deformation.

Options:

Contour/Criteria Levels

Animate

Apply
This is the end of the example. Before moving on, experiment with some of the different postprocessing and viewing options on your own.

BASIC ANALYSIS

Apply

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Simple Solid