Example 9.

1 Solved using FEMAP

1. Start up FEMAP. We will begin by making 4 nodes. From the menus select Model/Node (or
type Ctrl N). The popup window will look like the one below. You are to create nodes at the
following x coordinates; 0, 2, 4, 6. Thus, on the window below just click OK to make a node
at x=0. In the next window, change the x coordinate to x=2 and click OK. Repeat this for x=4
and x=6. After creating 4 nodes, click the Cancel button.

2. Hold down the Ctrl button and type A. This will zoom all items in the display.

3. Next we want to create three spring elements between each of the nodes. From the menus
select Model/Element (or type Ctrl E). In the popup window click the Type button. In the next
popup window select the Spring/Damper radio button as shown below and click OK.

4. Back in the Define SPRING/DAMPER Element window, click the

button. This opens
the Define Property window. Key in a title, select the Axial radio button and key in a stiffness
of 1.0 as shown below. Click OK.

5. Back in the Define SPRING/DAMPER Element window, make sure the property you just
created is selected and then click in the first node box as shown below. Next select the node on
the far left side and then the node just to the right of it as shown in the second figure below.
Nodes 1 and 2 should appear in the node boxes. Click OK to create the element. Next, click
the next two nodes to create a middle element and then repeat again to make an element on the
right hand side. Now click Cancel to terminate node creation. Your display should look like
the one below.

6. We will next create lumped mass elements at the nodes. From the menus select
Model/Element (or type Ctrl E). In the popup window click the Type button. In the next
popup window select the Mass radio button as shown below and click OK.

7. Back in the Define MASS Element window click the

button. This opens the Define
Property window. Key in a title and key in a mass of 1.0 as shown below. Click OK.

8. Back in the Define MASS element window, make sure the new property you just created is
selected and the click in the node box. Next, click the second node from the left and click OK.
Next click the second node from the right. Next click Cancel to terminate creation of elements.
Your display should now look like the one below.

9. We now need to apply constraints to the nodes. From the menus select
Model/Constraint/Nodal. In the first popup window you can key in a title for the Constraint
set (or leave it blank) and click OK. When the next popup window appears, select the end
nodes with the mouse as shown below and then click OK. In the next popup window click the
Fixed radio button (which constrains all three translations and all three rotations) and click OK.

10. Back in the Entity Selection window, pick the two interior nodes as shown below and click
OK. In the next popup window, constrain translations in y and z and rotations about x, y, and
z as shown below. Click OK and then Cancel. Your screen should now look like the third
image below. The numbers below the nodes describe which directions are constrained (1, 2, 3
are translations in x, y, and z and 4, 5, and 6 are rotations about the x, y, and z axes).

11. We will now define the type of analysis to complete. From the menus select Model/Analysis.
In the popup window click the New button. In the next popup window click the Analysis Type
pull down window and select Normal/Modes/Eigenvalue as shown below. Click OK.

12. Back in the Analysis Set Manager window click the Analyze button. This will start the
solution process. A new Analysis Monitor window will open on the left hand side. When
the status changes to Complete as shown below, the analysis is finished. If you get an error
message. There is something wrong with you model and you need to go back recheck the
previous steps. You should close the Analysis Monitor window to make more room.

13. Select the Post Data icon

from the ribbon bars at top of the Femap window. In the popup
window use the Output Set pull down menu to select Mode 1 as shown below and click OK.

14. Next click the Select a Deformed View icon

from the ribbon panel at the top of the
Femap window. Your display should look like the one below. This illustrates the mode shape
for the first mode where both interior nodes are moving in the same direction. You may also
click the
icon to see an animated display of the mode. To stop the animation just click
either
or the
icons.

15. Thus the first mode shape is shown above. The frequency is listed as 0.159 Hz. In the solution
k
. Since we set k and m equal to 1, then we get: 1 1 . Note this is
to Example 12.1, 1
m
1
in radians/second. The resonant frequency in Hz. is f 1
1 0.1591 .
2

16. To view the mode shape of the second mode, you can click the
icon and select Mode 2 or
you can use the Model Info window as shown below. Click on the + in front of Results and All
Results to see all the result sets.

17. Click on the

icon. Print out the second mode using the menus File/Print and hand it in. It
does not need to be in color!

Example 9.2 Solved using FEMAP

18. Click the
icon so that an undeformed mesh is displayed. We need to make the initial
conditions where u2=0, u3=2, and both velocities are zero. Only the non-zero initial conditions
need to be created and Nastran assumes all unspecified values are zero. In FEMAP we apply these
initial conditions as loads. From the menus select Model/Load/Nodal. In the first popup window,
key in the title Initial Conditions and click OK. In the next popup window, select node 3 and
click OK and move to the next instruction.

19. In the Create Loads on Nodes window select Displacement and key in 2 in the TX (x
displacement) and remove the check mark from the other displacement boxes. Click OK and
then Cancel. Your screen should look like the one shown below.

20. From the menus select Model/Analysis. On the popup window select the New button. In the
next popup window, use the pull down menu on Analysis Type to select 3. Transient
Dynamic/Time History. DO NOT CLICK OK. Click the Next button 6 times for various
popup windows. These windows all display options to set for the solution. Go to the next
instruction.

21. In the Dynamic Control Options window, enter the data shown below. This will use Nastran
to directly integrate the equations of motions. Unfortunately, Nastran does not support a Modal
Transient solution with initial conditions. With a time step of 0.1 seconds and 150 time steps,
the analysis will cover 15.0 seconds. The output interval of 1 requested results every time step.
Click the Next button 3 more times.

22. In the Boundary Conditions window, make the changes shown below. Note that the Loads
input must be set to None. Click OK.

23. Back in the Analysis Set Manager window, click the Analyze button.

24. Analysis Monitor window will open on the left. Wait for the message Status : Complete as
shown below. If you get an error message, you should go back and check your model from the
beginning. Next close the Analysis Monitor window to make more room on the screen.

25. The best way to display the time history results is to plot the displacement versus time. To do
this, click the Charting icon
from the ribbon bar. A
new Charting window opens. Click on the Data Series Manager icon
in the charting
window as shown below. In the Chart Data Series Manager window, click the New Data
Series button.

26. In the Chart Data Series window, first select the tab at the top labeled Vector vs. Output Set.
Next make the changes shown below. After you click the Select Multiple button, select the
two interior nodes and click OK and then Cancel. Back in the Chart Data Series Manager
window, click the Done button.

27. Your display should look like the one below. Compare this with the one on page 254 in your
text.

28. Click on the icons shown below and enter titles for the x and y axes.

29. Click the Copy Chart Image to Clipboard icon

in the chart window. Now open Word or
some other program and paste the figure into it. Print it out (in black and white) and hand it in
too.