Effect of Self Weight on a Cantilever Beam

Introduction
This tutorial was completed using ANSYS 7.0 The purpose of the tutorial is to show the required
steps to account for the weight of an object in ANSYS.

Loads will not be applied to the beam shown below in order to observe the deflection caused by
the weight of the beam itself. The beam is to be made of steel with a modulus of elasticity of 200
GPa.

Preprocessing: Defining the Problem

1. Give example a Title

Utility Menu > File > Change Title ...

/title, Effects of Self Weight for a Cantilever Beam

2. Open preprocessor menu

ANSYS Main Menu > Preprocessor

/PREP7

3. Define Keypoints

Preprocessor > Modeling > Create > Keypoints > In Active CS...
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

5. Define the Type of Element

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).

6. 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.

7. 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
8. 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
9. Define Mesh Size

Preprocessor > Meshing > Size Cntrls > ManualSize > Lines > All Lines...

For this example we will use an element edge length of 100mm.

10. Mesh the frame

Preprocessor > Meshing > Mesh > Lines > click 'Pick All'

Solution Phase: Assigning Loads and Solving

1. Define Analysis Type

Solution > Analysis Type > New Analysis > Static

ANTYPE,0

2. Apply Constraints

Solution > Define Loads > Apply > Structural > Displacement > On Keypoints

Fix keypoint 1 (ie all DOF constrained)

3. Define Gravity

It is necessary to define the direction and magnitude of gravity for this problem.

o Select Solution > Define Loads > Apply > Structural > Inertia > Gravity...
o 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.

4. Solve the System

Solution > Solve > Current LS

SOLVE

Postprocessing: Viewing the Results

1. Hand Calculations
 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.

Application of Distributed Loads

Introduction
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 in the 'Bicycle Space Frame' tutorial under 'Basic Tutorials'.
A distributed load of 1000 N/m (1 N/mm) will be applied to a solid steel beam with a rectangular
cross 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.

Preprocessing: Defining the Problem

1. Open preprocessor menu

/PREP7

2. Give example a Title

Utility Menu > File > Change Title ...

/title, Distributed Loading

3. Create Keypoints

Preprocessor > Modeling > Create > Keypoints > In Active CS

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

Preprocessor > Element Type > Add/Edit/Delete...

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.

6. Define Real Constants

Preprocessor > Real Constants... > Add...

In the 'Real Constants for BEAM3' window, enter the following geometric
properties:

i. Cross-sectional area AREA: 100

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.

7. 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
8. Define Mesh Size
 Preprocessor > Meshing > Size Cntrls > ManualSize > Lines > All Lines...

For this example we will use an element length of 100mm.

9. Mesh the frame

Preprocessor > Meshing > Mesh > Lines > click 'Pick All'

10. Plot Elements

Utility Menu > Plot > Elements

You may also wish to turn on element numbering and turn off keypoint numbering

Utility Menu > PlotCtrls > Numbering ...

Solution Phase: Assigning Loads and Solving

1. Define Analysis Type

Solution > Analysis Type > New Analysis > Static

ANTYPE,0

2. Apply Constraints

Solution > Define Loads > Apply > Structural > Displacement > On Keypoints
 Pin Keypoint 1 (ie UX and UY constrained) and fix Keypoint 2 in the y direction
(UY constrained).

3. Apply Loads

We will apply a distributed load, of 1000 N/m or 1 N/mm, over the entire length of the
beam.

o Select Solution > Define Loads > Apply > Structural > Pressure > On Beams
o Click 'Pick All' in the 'Apply F/M' window.
o As shown in the following figure, enter a value of 1 in the field 'VALI Pressure
value at node I' then click 'OK'.

The applied loads and constraints should now appear as shown in the figure below.
 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.

4. Solve the System

Solution > Solve > Current LS

SOLVE

Postprocessing: Viewing the Results

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:

1. 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.
 2. 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.
 Harmonic Analysis of a Cantilever Beam

Introduction
This tutorial was created using ANSYS 7.0 The purpose of this tutorial is to explain the steps
required to perform Harmonic analysis the cantilever beam shown below.

We will now conduct a harmonic forced response test by applying a cyclic load (harmonic) at the
end of the beam. The frequency of the load will be varied from 1 - 100 Hz. The figure below
depicts the beam with the application of the load.
ANSYS provides 3 methods for conducting a harmonic analysis. These 3 methods are the Full ,
Reduced and Modal Superposition methods.

This example demonstrates the Full method because it is simple and easy to use as compared to
the other two methods. However, this method makes use of the full stiffness and mass matrices
and thus is the slower and costlier option.

Preprocessing: Defining the Problem

The simple cantilever beam is used in all of the Dynamic Analysis Tutorials. If you haven't
created the model in ANSYS, please use the links below. Both the command line codes and the
GUI commands are shown in the respective links.

Solution: Assigning Loads and Solving

1. Define Analysis Type (Harmonic)

Solution > Analysis Type > New Analysis > Harmonic

ANTYPE,3

2. Set options for analysis type:

o Select: Solution > Analysis Type > Analysis Options..

The following window will appear

o As shown, select the Full Solution method, the Real + imaginary DOF printout
format and do not use lumped mass approx.
o Click 'OK'
 The following window will appear. Use the default settings (shown below).

3. Apply Constraints
o Select Solution > Define Loads > Apply > Structural > Displacement > On
Nodes

The following window will appear once you select the node at x=0 (Note small
changes in the window compared to the static examples):

o Constrain all DOF as shown in the above window

4. Apply Loads:
o Select Solution > Define Loads > Apply > Structural > Force/Moment > On
Nodes
o Select the node at x=1 (far right)
o The following window will appear. Fill it in as shown to apply a load with a real
value of 100 and an imaginary value of 0 in the positive 'y' direction
 Note: By specifying a real and imaginary value of the load we are providing
information on magnitude and phase of the load. In this case the magnitude of the
load is 100 N and its phase is 0. Phase information is important when you have
two or more cyclic loads being applied to the structure as these loads could be in
or out of phase. For harmonic analysis, all loads applied to a structure must have
the SAME FREQUENCY.

5. Set the frequency range

o Select Solution > Load Step Opts > Time/Frequency > Freq and Substps...
o As shown in the window below, specify a frequency range of 0 - 100Hz, 100
substeps and stepped b.c..

By doing this we will be subjecting the beam to loads at 1 Hz, 2 Hz, 3 Hz, ..... 100
Hz. We will specify a stepped boundary condition (KBC) as this will ensure that
the same amplitude (100 N) will be applyed for each of the frequencies. The
ramped option, on the other hand, would ramp up the amplitude where at 1 Hz the
amplitude would be 1 N and at 100 Hz the amplitude would be 100 N.
 You should now have the following in the ANSYS Graphics window

6. Solve the System

Solution > Solve > Current LS

SOLVE

Postprocessing: Viewing the Results

We want to observe the response at x=1 (where the load was applyed) as a function of frequency.
We cannot do this with General PostProcessing (POST1), rather we must use TimeHist
PostProcessing (POST26). POST26 is used to observe certain variables as a function of either
time or frequency.

1. Open the TimeHist Processing (POST26) Menu

Select TimeHist Postpro from the ANSYS Main Menu.

2. Define Variables

In here we have to define variables that we want to see plotted. By default, Variable 1 is
assigned either Time or Frequency. In our case it is assigned Frequency. We want to
see the displacement UY at the node at x=1, which is node #2. (To get a list of nodes and
their attributes, select Utility Menu > List > nodes).

o Select TimeHist Postpro > Variable Viewer... and the following window should
pop up.
o Select Add (the green '+' sign in the upper left corner) from this window and the
following window should appear
 o We are interested in the Nodal Solution > DOF Solution > Y-Component of
displacement. Click OK.
o Graphically select node 2 when prompted and click OK. The 'Time History
Variables' window should now look as follows

3. List Stored Variables

o In the 'Time History Variables' window click the 'List' button, 3 buttons to the left
of 'Add'

The following window will appear listing the data:

4. Plot UY vs. frequency
o In the 'Time History Variables' window click the 'Plot' button, 2 buttons to the left
of 'Add'

The following graph should be plotted in the main ANSYS window.

Note that we get peaks at frequencies of approximately 8.3 and 51 Hz. This
corresponds with the predicted frequencies of 8.311 and 51.94Hz.

To get a better view of the response, view the log scale of UY.

o Select Utility Menu > PlotCtrls > Style > Graphs > Modify Axis

The following window will appear

o As marked by an 'A' in the above window, change the Y-axis scale to
'Logarithmic'
o Select Utility Menu > Plot > Replot
o You should now see the following
 This is the response at node 2 for the cyclic load applied at this node from 0 - 100
Hz.

o For ANSYS version lower than 7.0, the 'Variable Viewer' window is not
available. Use the 'Define Variables' and 'Store Data' functions under TimeHist
Postpro. See the help file for instructions.
 Transient Analysis of a Cantilever Beam

Introduction
This tutorial was created using ANSYS 7.0 The purpose of this tutorial is to show the steps
involved to perform a simple transient analysis.

Transient dynamic analysis is a technique used to determine the dynamic response of a structure
under a time-varying load.

The time frame for this type of analysis is such that inertia or damping effects of the structure are
considered to be important. Cases where such effects play a major role are under step or impulse
loading conditions, for example, where there is a sharp load change in a fraction of time.

If inertia effects are negligible for the loading conditions being considered, a static analysis may
be used instead.

For our case, we will impact the end of the beam with an impulse force and view the response at
the location of impact.
Since an ideal impulse force excites all modes of a structure, the response of the beam should
contain all mode frequencies. However, we cannot produce an ideal impulse force numerically.
We have to apply a load over a discrete amount of time dt.

After the application of the load, we track the response of the beam at discrete time points for as
long as we like (depending on what it is that we are looking for in the response).

The size of the time step is governed by the maximum mode frequency of the structure we wish
to capture. The smaller the time step, the higher the mode frequency we will capture. The rule of
thumb in ANSYS is

time_step = 1 / 20f

where f is the highest mode frequency we wish to capture. In other words, we must resolve our
step size such that we will have 20 discrete points per period of the highest mode frequency.

It should be noted that a transient analysis is more involved than a static or harmonic
analysis. It requires a good understanding of the dynamic behavior of a structure.
Therefore, a modal analysis of the structure should be initially performed to provide
information about the structure's dynamic behavior.
In ANSYS, transient dynamic analysis can be carried out using 3 methods.

 The Full Method: This is the easiest method to use. All types of non-linearities are allowed. It is
however very CPU intensive to go this route as full system matrices are used.
 The Reduced Method: This method reduces the system matrices to only consider the Master
Degrees of Freedom (MDOFs). Because of the reduced size of the matrices, the calculations are
much quicker. However, this method handles only linear problems (such as our cantilever case).
 The Mode Superposition Method: This method requires a preliminary modal analysis, as
factored mode shapes are summed to calculate the structure's response. It is the quickest of the
three methods, but it requires a good deal of understanding of the problem at hand.

We will use the Reduced Method for conducting our transient analysis. Usually one need not go
further than Reviewing the Reduced Results. However, if stresses and forces are of interest than,
we would have to Expand the Reduced Solution.

Preprocessing: Defining the Problem

The simple cantilever beam is used in all of the Dynamic Analysis Tutorials. If you haven't
created the model in ANSYS, please use the links below. Both the command line codes and the
GUI commands are shown in the respective links.

Solution: Assigning Loads and Solving

1. Define Analysis Type
o Select Solution > Analysis Type > New Analysis > Transient
o The following window will appear. Select 'Reduced' as shown.

2. Define Master DOFs

 o Select Solution > Master DOFs > User Selected > Define
o Select all nodes except the left most node (at x=0).

The following window will open, choose UY as the first dof in this window

For an explanation on Master DOFs, see the section on Using the Reduced
Method for modal analysis.

3. Constrain the Beam

Solution Menu > Define Loads > Apply > Structural > Displacement > On nodes

Fix the left most node (constrain all DOFs).

4. Apply Loads

We will define our impulse load using Load Steps. The following time history curve
shows our load steps and time steps. Note that for the reduced method, a constant time
step is required throughout the time range.
We can define each load step (load and time at the end of load segment) and save them in
a file for future solution purposes. This is highly recommended especially when we have
many load steps and we wish to re-run our solution.

We can also solve for each load step after we define it. We will go ahead and save each
load step in a file for later use, at the same time solve for each load step after we are done
defining it.

o Load Step 1 - Initial Conditions

i. Define Load Step

We need to establish initial conditions (the condition at Time = 0). Since

the equations for a transient dynamic analysis are of second order, two sets
of initial conditions are required; initial displacement and initial velocity.
However, both default to zero. Therefore, for this example we can skip
this step.

ii. Specify Time and Time Step Options

 Select Solution > Load Step Opts > Time/Frequenc > Time - Time Step ..
 set a time of 0 for the end of the load step (as shown below).
 set [DELTIM] to 0.001. This will specify a time step size of 0.001
seconds to be used for this load step.
 iii. Write Load Step File
 Select Solution > Load Step Opts > Write LS File

The following window will appear

 Enter LSNUM = 1 as shown above and click 'OK'

The load step will be saved in a file jobname.s01

o Load Step 2
i. Define Load Step
  Select Solution > Define Loads > Apply > Structural > Force/Moment >
On Nodes and select the right most node (at x=1). Enter a force in the
FY direction of value -100 N.
ii. Specify Time and Time Step Options
 Select Solution > Load Step Opts > Time/Frequenc > Time - Time Step ..
and set a time of 0.001 for the end of the load step
iii. Write Load Step File

Solution > Load Step Opts > Write LS File

Enter LSNUM = 2

o Load Step 3
i. Define Load Step
 Select Solution > Define Loads > Delete > Structural > Force/Moment >
On Nodes and delete the load at x=1.
ii. Specify Time and Time Step Options
 Select Solution > Load Step Opts > Time/Frequenc > Time - Time Step ..
and set a time of 1 for the end of the load step
iii. Write Load Step File

Solution > Load Step Opts > Write LS File

Enter LSNUM = 3

b. Solve the System

o Select Solution > Solve > From LS Files

The following window will appear.

o Complete the window as shown above to solve using LS files 1 to 3.

Postprocessing: Viewing the Results
To view the response of node 2 (UY) with time we must use the TimeHist PostProcessor
(POST26).

1. Define Variables

In here we have to define variables that we want to see plotted. By default, Variable 1 is
assigned either Time or Frequency. In our case it is assigned Frequency. We want to
see the displacement UY at the node at x=1, which is node #2. (To get a list of nodes and
their attributes, select Utility Menu > List > nodes).

o Select TimeHist Postpro > Variable Viewer... and the following window should pop up.

o Select Add (the green '+' sign in the upper left corner) from this window and the
following window should appear
o We are interested in the Nodal Solution > DOF Solution > Y-Component of
displacement. Click OK.
o Graphically select node 2 when prompted and click OK. The 'Time History Variables'
window should now look as follows
2. List Stored Variables
o In the 'Time History Variables' window click the 'List' button, 3 buttons to the left of
'Add'

The following window will appear listing the data:

3. Plot UY vs. frequency

o In the 'Time History Variables' window click the 'Plot' button, 2 buttons to the left of
'Add'

The following graph should be plotted in the main ANSYS window.

 A few things to note in the response curve

 There are approximately 8 cycles in one second. This is the first mode of the
cantilever beam and we have been able to capture it.
 We also see another response at a higher frequency. We may have captured
some response at the second mode at 52 Hz of the beam.
 Note that the response does not decay as it should not. We did not specify
damping for our system.

Expand the Solution

For most problems, one need not go further than Reviewing the Reduced Results as the
response of the structure is of utmost interest in transient dynamic analysis.

However, if stresses and forces are of interest, we would have to expand the reduced
solution.

Let's say we are interested in the beam's behaviour at peak responses. We should then
expand a few or all solutions around one peak (or dip). We will expand 10 solutions
within the range of 0.08 and 0.11 seconds.

1. Expand the solution

o Select Finish in the ANSYS Main Menu
o Select Solution > Analysis Type > ExpansionPass... and switch it to ON in the window
that pops open.
o Select Solution > Load Step Opts > ExpansionPass > Single Expand > Range of Solu's
o Complete the window as shown below. This will expand 10 solutions withing the range
of 0.08 and 0.11 seconds

2. Solve the System

 Solution > Solve > Current LS
SOLVE

3. Review the results in POST1

Review the results using either General Postprocessing (POST1) or TimeHist

Postprocessing (POST26). For this case, we can view the deformed shape at each of
the 10 solutions we expanded.

Damped Response of the Cantilever Beam

We did not specify damping in our transient analysis of the beam. We specify damping at the
same time we specify our time & time steps for each load step.

We will now re-run our transient analysis, but now we will consider damping. Here is where the
use of load step files comes in handy. We can easily change a few values in these files and re-run
our whole solution from these load case files.

 Open up the first load step file (Dynamic.s01) for editing Utility Menu > File > List > Other >
Dynamic.s01. The file should look like the following..
 /COM,ANSYS RELEASE 5.7.1 UP20010418 14:44:02 08/20/2001
 /NOPR
 /TITLE, Dynamic Analysis
 _LSNUM= 1
 ANTYPE, 4
 TRNOPT,REDU,,DAMP
 BFUNIF,TEMP,_TINY
 DELTIM, 1.000000000E-03
 TIME, 0.00000000
 TREF, 0.00000000
 ALPHAD, 0.00000000
 BETAD, 0.00000000
 DMPRAT, 0.00000000
 TINTP,R5.0, 5.000000000E-03,,,
 TINTP,R5.0, -1.00000000 , 0.500000000 , -1.00000000
 NCNV, 1, 0.00000000 , 0, 0.00000000 , 0.00000000
 ERESX,DEFA
 ACEL, 0.00000000 , 0.00000000 , 0.00000000
 OMEGA, 0.00000000 , 0.00000000 , 0.00000000 , 0
 DOMEGA, 0.00000000 , 0.00000000 , 0.00000000
 CGLOC, 0.00000000 , 0.00000000 , 0.00000000
 CGOMEGA, 0.00000000 , 0.00000000 , 0.00000000
 DCGOMG, 0.00000000 , 0.00000000 , 0.00000000

 D, 1,UX , 0.00000000 , 0.00000000
 D, 1,UY , 0.00000000 , 0.00000000
 D, 1,ROTZ, 0.00000000 , 0.00000000
 /GOPR
 Change the damping value BETAD from 0 to 0.01 in all three load step files.
 We will have to re-run the job for the new load step files. Select Utility Menu > file > Clear and
Start New.
 Repeat the steps shown above up to the point where we select MDOFs. After selecting MDOFs,
simply go to Solution > (-Solve-) From LS files ... and in the window that opens up select files
from 1 to 3 in steps of 1.
 After the results have been calculated, plot up the response at node 2 in POST26. The damped
response should look like the following
Heat flux analysis of a composite modular wall
 
Introduction: In this example you will determine the heat flux through the composite modular wall
shown in the figure.
Physical Problem: A composite wall is widely used in cold places to insulate buildings from the cold
outside surroundings. It typically consists of insulating material packed inside a wall. The insulating material
is usually in two layers and is staggered. In this problem we will model a section of such a wall and
determine the heat flux through the wall. This gives an estimate of the amount of heat that needs to be
supplied to maintain the room temperature.
Problem Description:
 
The outer material of the composite wall is steel with thermal conductivity of 20 W/m K
The insulating material has a thermal conductivity of 0.1 W/m K.
Units: Use S.I. units ONLY
Geometry: See figure.
Boundary Conditions: The bulk temperature on the left of the wall is 220K, and the Film Coefficient is
200 W/m2K. On the right side the bulk temperature is 300K, and the Film Coefficient is 20 W/m2K.
Objective:
To determine the heat flux through the given length of the wall. 
To plot the temperature distribution.
To generate the vector plot of the heat flux.
You are required to hand in print outs for the above.
Figure:
 

           
 
IMPORTANT: Convert all dimensions and forces into SI units.
 
STARTING ANSYS     
 
Click on ANSYS 6.1 in the programs menu.
Select Interactive.
The following menu that comes up. Enter the working directory. All your files will be stored in this
directory. Also enter 64 for Total Workspace and 32 for Database.
Click on Run.
 

 
MODELING THE STRUCTURE
 
Go to the ANSYS Utility Menu.
 Click Workplane>WP Settings.
The following window comes up:
 

 
Check the Cartesian and Grid Only buttons
Enter the values shown in the figure above.
 
Go to the ANSYS Main Menu and click Preprocessor>Modeling>Create>Area>Rectangle>By 2
Corners.
The following window comes up:
 
  
Now we will pick the end points of the rectangles.
First make the outer rectangle of dimensions 5.25 cm X 6.75 cm, i.e. 42 units by 54 units on the
grid.
Similarly make the other rectangles.
Click on Preprocessor>Modeling>Operate>Booleans>Overlap>Areas.  For each separate
insulation area, first select the steel area, then select the particular insulation area.
If you cannot see the complete workplane then go to Utility Menu>PlotCntrls>Pan Zoom
Rotate and zoom out to see the entire The model should look like the one below:
 
  
MATERIAL PROPERTIES
 
We need to define material properties separately for steel, and the insulation material.
Go to the ANSYS Main Menu and click Preprocessor>Material Props>Material Models.  In the
window that comes up choose Thermal>Conductivity>Isotropic.
Enter 1 for the Material Property Number and click OK. The following window comes up:
 
  
Fill in 20 for Thermal conductivity. Click OK.
Now the material 1 has the properties defined in the above table. This represents the material
properties for steel. Click Material>New Model in the Define Material Behavior Window to define
properties for material 2. Repeat the above steps to create material properties for the insulation
(k=0.1 W/m K).
 
ELEMENT PROPERTIES
 
SELECTING ELEMENT TYPE:
Click Preprocessor>Element Type>Add/Edit/Delete... In the 'Element Types' window that opens
click on Add... The following window opens:
 

 
Type 1 in the Element type reference number.
Click on Thermal Solid and select Quad 8node 77. Click OK. Close the 'Element types' window.
So now we have selected Element type 1 to be a thermal solid 8node element. The component will
now be modeled with thermal solid 8node elements. This finishes the selection of element type.
 
MESHING:
 
DIVIDING THE WALL INTO ELEMENTS:
Go to Preprocessor>Meshing>Size Controls>Manual Size>Lines>All Lines. In the menu that
comes up type 0.0025 in the field for 'Element edge length':
 
  
Click on OK. Now when you mesh the figure ANSYS will automatically create a mesh, whose elements
have an edge length of 0.0025m along the lines you selected.
First we will mesh the steel area. Go to Preprocessor>Meshing>Mesh Attributes>Default
Attributes. Make sure the window indicates "Material Ref.#1".  This function tells Ansys which
material is being used while you perform meshing functions. The window is shown below:
 

 
Now go to Preprocessor>Meshing>Mesh>Areas>Free. Pick the steel area and click OK.
Repeat the same process for the insulation areas. Make sure you use the correct material number
(number 2) for the insulation areas. Also since the steel and the insulation areas overlap make sure
you pick the right area. If you choose the wrong area, use Preprocessor>Meshing>Clear to undo
the previous mesh and then repeat the previous steps. The meshed area will look like this:
 

 
BOUNDARY CONDITIONS AND CONSTRAINTS
 
Go to Preprocessor>Loads>Define Loads>Apply>Thermal>Convection>On Lines. Pick the
left line along the outer boundary. Click OK. The following window comes up:
 
  
Enter 200 for "Film Coefficient" and 220 for "Bulk Temperature" and click OK.
Repeat the above for the right side of the wall. (VALI=20, VAL2I=300)
Now the Modeling of the problem is done.
 
SOLUTION
 
Go to ANSYS Main Menu>Solution>Analysis Type>New Analysis.
Select Steady State and click on OK.
Go to Solution>Solve>Current LS.
An error window may appear. Click OK on that window and ignore it.
Wait for ANSYS to solve the problem.
Click on OK and close the 'Information' window.
 
POST-PROCESSING
 
Listing the results.
Go to ANSYS Main Menu and click on General Postprocessing>List Results>Nodal Solution.
The following window will come up:
 
  
Select DOF solution and Temperature. Click on OK. The nodal displacements will be listed as
follows:
 

 
The maximum value of temperature is given at the end of the above table
 
MODIFICATION
 
You can also plot the temperature distribution for this steady state case.
Go to General Postprocessing>Plot Results>Contour Plot>Nodal Solution. The following
window will come up:
 
  
Select DOF solution and temperature to be plotted and click OK.  The output will be like this:
 
  
For the vector plot go to Main Menu>General Postprocessing>Plot Results>Vector
Plot>Predefined. The following window comes up:
 
  
Select Flux & Gradient and Thermal flux ad click OK.
The plot looks like the following picture. Notice that the maximum heat flux occurs along the steel
material that is horizontal and closer to the right wall.