Lecture 4

Results Processing
16.0 Release

Introduction to ANSYS
Explicit STR
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 Viewing Results
When selecting a results branch, the Context toolbar displays ways of viewing
results:
Min/Max Probe

Displacement Scaling Display Method Contour Settings Outline Display

Vector Display Controls

In addition, the Timeline also has an animation toolbar which lets the user set
animation controls Distribute Export

Play Pause Markers Frame Rate Control

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 Displacement Scaling
Pull-down menu lets you apply a scale factor to displacements
Useful for viewing small displacements True Scale

True Scale is usually best for Explicit Dynamics

analyses
Can give unrealistic views for the large
displacements that are common in such analyses

True Scale Auto Scale

5x Auto

Small Displacement Analysis

Large Displacement Analysis
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 Legend Controls
Right Clicking on the legend in the graphics area lets you modify the
legend controls
Edit Value

Export/Import/Switch to a saved legend setting

Increase/Decrease Contour Bands Horizontal/Vertical legend

Display Date/Time

Switch to Logarithmic Scale Display Max/Min label on the legend

Switch to Scientific Notation

Number of Significant Digits

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 Legend Controls
The legend bounds can be manipulated to show result
distributions more clearly for contour plots

Max / Min values

are unchanged

Click and drag contour dividers (or type in) to

specify contour ranges
A non-uniform distribution of contours can be used
as well

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 Legend Controls
Independent Bands allow neutral colors to represent regions of the model above or
below the specified legend limits.

Legend Contour
Range

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 Display Method
The Geometry button controls the contour display method. Four choices are
available:

Exterior is the default display

option and is most commonly
used.
IsoSurfaces
Exterior
IsoSurfaces is useful to display
regions with the same contour
value.
Capped IsoSurfaces will remove
regions of the model where the
contour values are above (or
below) a specified value.
Slice Planes allow a user to cut
Capped IsoSurfaces Slice Planes through the model visually.
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 Display Method
Capped IsoSurfaces are manipulated by an independent controller:
Icons allow isosurface cap to be top or bottom or both
The cap threshold can be controlled via the slider or by typing the value directly

Solid Single Isosurface Top Capped Bottom Capped

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 Contour Settings
The Contours button controls the way in which contours are shown on the model

Smooth
Contours Contour Bands

Isolines Solid Fill

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 Outline Display
The Edges button lets you show the
undeformed geometry or mesh

No Wireframe

Show Undeformed
Wireframe

Show Undeformed
Model

Show Elements

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 Section Planes
Section Planes can be added and edited in both the preprocessor
as well as the post processor
To add a section plane select the Draw Section Plane icon, then
click-drag with the left mouse
Selection planes can be turned on/off using the check box in the
details view
Delete section planes using the delete icon
Edit section planes by highlighting desired plane name and using the
handle in the Graphics window
Orient view for cut, Click and
Handle bar appears Isometric view Move slice plane by Click on dashed side of
draw vertical cut with mouse
and bodies are sliced shows slice plane dragging handle bar to reverse the slice

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 Scoping Results
Limiting results displayed can be useful when post-processing:
Scoping automatically scales the legend to results for selected regions
To scope contour results:
Pre-select geometry then request the result of interest
The non-selected geometry will be displayed as translucent
Results scoped Results scoped
on a single body on a single face

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 Scoping to a Path (Profile Plots)
Results may be mapped onto a path defined by:
A coordinate system (or multiple systems)
Existing geometry (edges or points)
A path is created using Construction Geometry

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 Scoping to a Path (Profile Plots)
Path Results may be displayed in
graphical form
Equivalent to Profile Plots in
AUTODYN

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 Charts and Tables
Combine MULTIPLE Results data into charts and/or tables
Select New Chart and Table icon
From Details Apply the desired result(s)
Use the CTRL key to select multiple results
Select desired display items in details
Often want to Omit minimum values

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 Time History Data
There are two ways of obtaining time history data from Explicit
Dynamics analyses Probe
Probes
Use data from Results files
Typical frequency at which data is stored may not be sufficient to
obtain high frequency responses
Can be defined after the Solve
Can be made parametric
Scoped to Geometry or Coordinate System Result Tracker
The orientation of the result item can be with respect to global or
local coordinate system

Result Trackers
Use data from Result Tracker Data files
Frequency is input parameter
Default is every cycle (captures highest frequencies)
Must be defined prior to Solve
Scoped to Geometry (vertex only) or Coordinate System
Data can be read from file if desired
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 Time History Data
Probe

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 Time History Data
Result Tracker

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 Time History Data

Example Boundary Reaction Tracker

Force reaction at each of 4 supports of component subject to impact loading

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 Time History Data

Example FSI Force Tracker

External force time history due to fluid jet impinging on

deformable surface (filtered at 10,000Hz)
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 Time History Data
Result Tracker Filter
Choose Filter Type Butterworth to apply a four-channel low-pass Butterworth filter to the data.
Set a cut frequency (Hz) for the filtering (default 0.0 implies no filtering)
Cut frequency should not exceed the sampling frequency (#samples/analysis time)
Filtered response is shown in green

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 User Defined Results
User Defined Result

Lets you define your own result expression

Expressions can include one or more variables
Names for all nodal / element variables
that can be used in expressions are shown
in the Worksheet view

e.g. Velocity Vector plots can be displayed

by setting the expression = VVECTOR

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 User Defined Result
Velocity Vector Plot

Renamed

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 Vector Plots
Vector plots involve any result quantity with direction, such as
deformation, principal stresses/strains, and heat flux
Activate vectors for appropriate quantities using the vector graphics icon

Once the vectors are visible their appearance can be modified using the vector
display controls (see next slide for examples)

Vector Length Control Vector Density Control

Proportional Vectors Equal Length Vectors Element Aligned Grid Aligned Line Form Solid Form

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 Vector Plots

Solid
Proportional
Solid Length
Proportional Line Form
Length Grid Aligned
Line Form Wire frame
Element Aligned Proportional
Length
Line Form
Element Aligned

Solid Solid

Proportional Equal Length

Length Solid Form
Solid Form Element Aligned
Element Aligned
Wire frame
Equal Length
Solid Form
Element Aligned

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 Animation Controls
The animation toolbar allows user to play, pause, and stop animations
Note: animations are accessed via the Timeline at the bottom of the graphics screen

Start/Stop/Pause Control resolution and speed

Export video (avi)
file
Distributed animation interpolates results while results sets animates only solution points.

Note: pause feature available during playback

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 Alerts
Alerts are a simple way to check if a scalar result quantity satisfies a
criterion:
Can be used on contour results (except vector results)
Highlight the particular result branch, RMB and insert an Alert
In the Details view, specify the criterion
In Outline tree, after Solve:
Green checkmark indicates criterion is satisfied
Red exclamation mark indicates criterion was not satisfied

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 Multiple Viewports
Multiple viewports can be used
to display various images at
the same time (model or
post-processing data)

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 Workshop 4 Process Results of Cylinder Impact
Goal:
Gain Hands-on Experience on Results Processing

Procedure:
Load the project created in Workshop 1
Apply the various techniques described in this chapter to the project results
(resolving if necessary)

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Walkthrough
 Workshop 5 - 2D Axisymmetric Impact
Axis of Symmetry

Bullet
(Steel)

500 m/s

Target
(Aluminum)
Fixed Boundary

Walkthrough
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