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Cosmos Works Tips and Tricks
Cosmos Works Tips and Tricks
Cosmos Works Tips and Tricks
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Contents
General Info . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
How do I set COSMOS/Works Preferences? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
How can I switch languages while using COSMOS/Works? 2
What's the difference between node values and element values? 2
Applying Loads and Boundary Conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
How do I apply Bearing Loads? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Do I have to be consistent with units? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
How do design changes affect the study defined? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
How can I apply a torque to a face? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
How can I apply boundary condition to a portion of the model? . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
How can I work with COSMOS/Works when I have several
configurations for my part? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
How do I apply variable forces that reverse direction on a given face? . . . . . . . 7
I need to apply varying pressure (hydrostatic pressure) on surfaces
on the model. Is it possible with COSMOS/Works? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Applying Material Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Can I define Isotropic and Orthotropic Material properties? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
How can I add materials permanently to the database? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Do I have to reapply materials and Loads/BC’s for a new study? . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Meshing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
What is Meshing? What is a Transitional Mesh? How do I implement
Transitional Mesh in COSMOS/Works? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Why is that there is only one mesh folder for all studies?
Can I create a different mesh for each study? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
What is the difference between a draft quality and a high quality mesh? . . . . . 17
When do I use a Draft or High quality Mesh? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
What are the Mesh Control Parameters? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
COSMOS/Works Tutorial i
I cannot mesh the part I am trying to analyze. What can I do? . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
I cannot mesh some parts in my assembly. What should I do? . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
What is the recommended meshing strategy for hard-to-mesh models? . . . . . . 18
Running the Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
How do I choose a solver? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
How can I solve a problem without any restraints, like importing loads
from motion analysis and free thermal expansion? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
How do I take into account inplane effects? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Thermal Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
What is a transient thermal analysis? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
What is a steady state thermal analysis? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
What is Radiation? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
What is Convection? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
What is Conduction? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
How can I extract thermal stresses? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Is there a better way to model epoxy between two components
in Heat Transfer analysis? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Buckling Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
What is the buckling factor (load factor) for buckling analysis? . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
How do I calculate the critical buckling loads for pipes with internal pressure? 28
Frequency Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
How do you deal with rigid body modes in frequency analysis? . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
What do the displacements resulting from frequency analysis mean? . . . . . . . . 31
Static Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
What is Static Analysis? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
What is Linear Static Analysis? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Nonlinear Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
What is nonlinear analysis? What are the types of nonlinearities
that can occur? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Thin Walled/Shell Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
What are the specific points to take into account when applying loads
and boundary conditions to shell models? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
What is meant by stiffening in thin plates? When and how
can I simulate this effect? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Assembly Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
How do I ignore some parts in an assembly for analysis? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
ii
What are the different kinds of Global Contact Options
available in COSMOS/Works? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40
Can I apply Local Contact Options? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40
I am running a surface contact analysis problem. When I right click on the study
name and choose properties, I see an option "Ignore clearance for surface contact".
What does this option mean and how do I know whether to check this option or
not? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41
What is the procedure to simulate Shrink Fit condition
on a 3D Assembly model? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42
Checking for Accuracy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
How do I make sure I have an accurate or converged solution? . . . . . . . . . . . . .43
Is there a way to get converged solution automatically? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43
What is Jacobian check? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43
What is Aspect ratio check? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44
How can I check for failure using Factor of Safety as a criterion? . . . . . . . . . . .44
Results and Visualization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Can I visualize results in local or cylindrical co-ordinate systems? . . . . . . . . . .45
How can I list results based on geometric entities? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45
Can I create a graph of results of selected nodes in the model? . . . . . . . . . . . . .45
How can I create automatic reports? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45
How can I locate the areas of maximum stress in the model? . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45
How do I create section or Iso plots? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46
Design Optimization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Can I do automatic optimization? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46
Motion Simulation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
How are joints created in COSMOS/Motion? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46
How do I import motion loads into COSMOS/Works? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46
iii
iv
Tips and Tricks for COSMOS/Works
T his booklet has been compiled from FAQs stored on the COSMOS/ Online
Knowledge Base. Hundreds of additional tips and tricks for COSMOS/Works can
be found at http://www.cosmosm.com/support/faq.htm
General Info
2
After a successful run, nodal stress results at each node of every element should
be available in the database. Consequently, multiple results are available at nodes
common to two or more elements. These results will not be identical because the
finite element method is an approximate method. For example, if a node is
common to three elements, there can be 3 slightly different values for every stress
component at that node. During result visualization, you may ask for element
stresses or nodal stresses.
In calculating nodal stresses at a node, the program averages the corresponding
results from all elements contributing to the stresses at that node. For example:
Important Notes:
4
Applying Loads and Boundary Conditions
Tips:
✍ The value specified in the torque dialog box is the total torque for each
entity.
✍ To change the color of the force symbol, click the Color button. The color
palette opens. Select the desired color and click the OK button.
✍ Selected entities box lists the number of faces and edges to which the force
is to be applied. Reference entities box displays the name of the plane to be
used as reference for defining the force loads. If no reference is selected,
then the force is applied with respect to Plane 1.
6
How can I work with COSMOS/Works when I have several
configurations for my part?
Working with different configurations (for example default and FEM
configuration): For the moment, COSMOS/Works shows the loads and boundary
conditions only if they were created with the active configuration of the part when
it was opened.
For example, if you want to do the analysis with FEM configuration, then save the
part with FEM as the active configuration. Close the part and then reload it. The
you will be able to perform the analysis. Consequently, whenever you reload the
part, if the active configuration is FEM during loading, then you will see all the
loads and boundary conditions. If you don't see the Loads/BCs then do a forced
rebuild by pressing CTRL+Q.
Similarly, if you do an analysis with default configuration, always reload the part
with the default configuration as active and you should be able to see the Loads/
BCs and results.
• In that case, the net resultant force = 0, and the summation of the absolute
values of the individual nodal forces = Value is a non-zero value
• Therefore, the value you should input is not equal to the resultant force you
want to apply. This can create some confusion. Thus, in a more general case
like the following, where the force reverses direction, you should split the
entity so that the force has a constant direction on each of the split entities.
• Original configuration with one entity:
• Modified configuration, with two entities on each of which the force has a
constant sign and direction:
Where:
• p (x, y) = Magnitude of pressure applied at a point with coordinates x and y
in the selected coordinate system.
8
• Value = The number entered in the Value field.
• x, y = Coordinates of the point relative to the selected coordinate system.
• A, B, C, D, E, and F are polynomial coefficients.
Meshing
What is Meshing?
Finite Element Analysis (FEA) provides a reliable numerical technique for
analyzing engineering designs. The process starts with the creation of a geometric
model. Then, the program subdivides the model into small pieces of simple shapes
(elements) connected at common points (nodes). The representation of a given
region by a set of elements (i.e., discretization or mesh generation) is an important
step in finite element analysis. Meshing the model is the heart of any FEA
analysis. The choice of element type, number of elements, and density of elements
depends on the geometry of the domain, the problem to be analyzed, and the
degree of accuracy desired. Local mesh refinement tools are very important to
have good mesh with gradual transitions between the mesh densities. One should
have a finer mesh in the areas of high stress gradient to ensure accuracy of the
solution.
10
• Automatic Transition: The program automatically applies mesh controls to all
small features, details, holes, and fillets. If these small features were not of
concern to us in terms of our analysis accuracy, it would be wasteful to
generate smaller elements on those regions as this will use up more of our
resources and solution time
• User Defined Control: The user has control over the areas to which mesh
control is applied. Reference geometric entities can be vertices, edges, faces,
and components. Using this feature carefully would help us reduce computer
requirement (memory) and solution time (CPU time).
The important question that arises here is, when should one use the automatic
transition or user defined control? Which one would be better for the better
solution? To answer these question follow these basic guidelines:
• Turn off the Automatic Transition option unless you have a simple model with
few small features. Activating automatic transition may result in generating a
very large number of elements unnecessarily when meshing model with many
small features.
• Mesh your model with a very coarse mesh (initial study) and run the analysis,
thus identifying the areas of high stress gradient.
• Once the most critical region in the model has been identified, apply user-
defined mesh control, re-mesh and re-run the analysis. The mesh size for the
user-defined control must be smaller than the global mesh size.
The illustrated example below shows, how the appropriate use of user-defined
mesh control can help us reduce the total number of DOF to be solved, thus saving
the resources and time. Increasing the total DOF by 2 increases the total CPU/
memory by 4; hence our aim would always be to get converged/accurate solution
with less number of nodes (i.e. less DOF).
Lets take the following shell model. All three holes are fixed and a pressure of -1
psi is applied at the bottom surface. We will see that applying the user defined
control is more appropriate than using automatic transition or smaller global mesh
size for the entire model. Using user-defined control gives us fairly accurate
solution with lesser number of nodes, hence less number of DOF to be solved.
Following are the findings:
Total
Max. von Min. von Memory Total
Global Mises Mises Usage Solution
Case Mesh Type Mesh DOF Stress Stress for the Time
Size (in) (psi) (psi) Solver (sec)
(KB)
1 Uniform 0.6 14,574 8.43 x 103 17.3 14624 12
Mesh
Density
2 Uniform 0.3 55,686 10.1 x 103 0.95 36068 35
Mesh
Density
12
Conclusion:
The analysis above was done on a Pentium III / 256 MB RAM, 500 MHz
machine. The solver used was FFEPlus (Iterative solver). Looking at the results,
we can see that the user-defined control is the better option for the user in terms of
memory, time and efficiency. In the chart, cost increase going right, accuracy
increases moving upward. Therefore, it is desirable to move toward the upper left
corner. It can be seen from the above graph that, accurate and converged solution
can be obtained by using user-defined control while reducing the time and
computer requirements by a factor of almost 7 with respect to using the uniform
mesh density.
14
Mesh Plot (Case 4)
Why is that there is only one mesh folder for all studies? Can I create
a different mesh for each study?
You can use one mesh for multiple studies to investigate the effect of using
different materials, loads, and/or restraints. Each study can have its own mesh as
well. However, to consider the impact of geometry changes on the results, you
must rebuild the mesh and rerun the study after making any change in geometry.
16
The old mesh will be overwritten, but you can still view the mesh associated with
a study and visualize the corresponding results even after rebuilding the mesh. If
you rerun a study after rebuilding the mesh, the new mesh will be used and all old
results will be overwritten. You can create solid and shell studies in the same
document.
To run a study using its associated mesh, activate the study by clicking its icon,
show its mesh by right-clicking the Mesh icon and selecting Show Mesh before
running it.
Note that with a higher order mesh, the elements can have curved edges. This
helps account for curved geometry.
18
• Always try the Standard mesher first. If meshing fails, try different element
sizes or edit mesh control settings. You may use the Alternate mesher in rare
situations where the Standard mesher keeps failing with different element
sizes.
• Turn on the High mesh quality option. You can use the draft mesh quality
option in preliminary studies of very large problems.
• Turn off the Automatic Transition option unless you have a simple model with
few small features. Activating automatic transition may result in generating a
very large number of elements unnecessarily when meshing with many small
features.
• Do not use the Alternate mesher when Automatic Transition or Use Defined
Controls is on.
• Always turn on the Smooth Surface option. This option improves the quality of
the mesh in most cases.
• To improve results in important areas, use mesh control to set a smaller
element size.
• After setting the recommended options described above, mesh the model using
the default element size and tolerance.
• If meshing fails, try a different element size and/or a larger tolerance. If the
element size is too big, the program will tell you to use a smaller element size.
Static Problems:
There are three solvers for static problems; the new Direct Sparse solver, the Old
FFE solver, and the New FFE solver.
• Use the New FFE solver for large and very large problems (problems with over
300,000 DOF).
• Use the Old FFE solver or the Direct Sparse solver for small and medium
problems (problems with 100,000 to 300,000 DOF).
• Use the Direct Sparse solver for assembly problems with contact, especially
when you turn on the friction effects.
• Use the Direct Sparse solver when solving assemblies of parts with widely
different material properties.
Frequency Problems:
There are two ways for solving frequency problems. You can use the mode
extraction routine powered by the Direct Sparse solver or the iterative FFE solver.
• Use the mode extraction routine powered by the FFE solver if your model is
not adequately restrained (rigid body modes).
• Use the mode extraction routine powered by the Direct Sparse solver if you
want to consider the effect of loading on the natural frequencies.
• Use the mode extraction routine powered by the Direct Sparse solver when
solving assemblies of parts with widely different material properties.
Buckling Problems:
Only the mode extraction routine powered by the Direct Sparse solver is available
for solving buckling problems.
20
Thermal Problems:
There are two solvers available for thermal problems; the new Direct Sparse
solver and the Old FFE solver. Thermal problems have one degree of freedom
(DOF) per node, and hence their solution is usually much faster than structural
problems of the same number of nodes.
• Use the Old FFE solver for large and very large problems.
• Use the Direct Sparse solver when solving assemblies of parts with widely
different material properties.
How can I solve a problem without any restraints, like importing loads
from motion analysis and free thermal expansion?
Use Inertia Relief option for either Sparse Matrix Solver or the New FFE solver to
solve for a problem without restraints.
Thermal Analysis
22
What is Radiation?
Thermal radiation is the thermal energy emitted by bodies in the form of
electromagnetic waves because of their temperature. All bodies with temperatures
above the absolute zero emit thermal energy. Because electromagnetic waves
travel in a vacuum, no medium is necessary for radiation to take place. The
thermal energy of the sun reaches earth by radiation. Because electromagnetic
waves travel at the speed of light, radiation is the fastest heat transfer mechanism.
Note:
What is Convection?
Convection is the heat transfer mode in which heat transfers between a solid face
and an adjacent moving fluid (or gas). Convection involves the combined effects
of conduction and the moving fluid. The fluid particles act as carriers of thermal
energy.
The rate of heat exchange between the fluid of temperature Tf and the face of a
solid of area A and temperature Ts can be expressed as:
The motion of the fluid adjacent to a solid face is caused by the buoyancy forces
induced by changes in the density of the fluid due to the presence of the solid.
When a hot plate is left to cool down in the air, the particles of air adjacent to the
face of the plate get warmer, their density decreases and hence they move.
24
Forced Convection
An external means such as a fan or a pump is used to accelerate the flow of the
fluid over the face of the solid. The rapid motion of the fluid particles over the
face of the solid maximizes the temperature gradient and results in increasing the
rate of heat exchange.
What is Conduction?
Thermal energy transfers from one point to another through the interaction
between the atoms or molecules of the matter. Conduction occurs in solids,
liquids, and gasses. For example, a hot cup of coffee on your desk will eventually
cool down to the room-temperature mainly by conduction from the coffee directly
to the air and through the body of the cup. There is no bulk motion of matter when
heat transfers by conduction. The rate of heat conduction through a plane layer of
thickness X is proportional to the heat transfer area and the temperature gradient,
and inversely proportional to the thickness of the layer.
Rate of Heat Conduction= K (Area) (Difference in Temperature/Thickness)
or:
26
Thermal contact resistance is implemented as part of a surface-to-surface contact
condition. You can either specify the total resistivity or the resistivity per unit
area.
Buckling Analysis
The value of the buckling load factor λ is calculated by the software and indicates
the likelihood of buckling under the applied loads:
Value of Signification
The applied load is below the critical load for buckling
The applied load exceeds the critical load for buckling
The applied load is stiffening the structure (it actually creates
tension in the structure).
Note:
How do I calculate the critical buckling loads for pipes with internal
pressure?
In a typical buckling analysis, the quantities to be computed include the critical
loads at which the structure becomes unstable, and the corresponding buckling
mode shapes. The first (or the lowest) mode of buckling is of practical importance
in many design scenarios. For many slender structures with in-plane loading, the
membrane forces alter the bending stiffness. Buckling occurs when the
compressive membrane forces reduce the bending stiffness to zero for a
kinematically admissible deformation mode. However, when the membrane
forces are reversed (tensile instead of compressive), then the bending stiffness is
effectively increased. Thus, the structure becomes stiffer under tensile in-plane
loads, exhibiting what is known as the stress stiffening effect. The stress stiffening
or softening effect can also be considered in the computation of natural
frequencies. For slender structures with in-plane loading, the natural frequencies
are significantly altered depending on the type of preload applied. Compressive
loads tend to decrease the natural frequencies whereas tensile forces tend to
increase them.
For these types of structures, the stiffness properties are function of both static
loads and the deformed shape. While an accurate solution of such problems
requires the use of geometrically nonlinear solution techniques, reasonable
accuracy can be obtained by using the differential stiffness approach. In this
method, it is assumed that the geometrically nonlinear problems can be
approximated by adding a geometric stiffness matrix KG (also known as initial
stress or differential stiffness matrix, or stability coefficient matrix) to the
conventional structural stiffness matrix. The displacements are computed with
respect to the original configuration of the structure, and the change in geometry
is reflected only in the geometric stiffness matrix. COSMOS/DesignSTAR and
COSMOS/Works give the option to consider the effect of applied loads while
estimating the natural frequencies by activating in-plane effect flag in frequency
study properties dialog box. First, the program runs a linear static analysis to
calculate the deformed shape (and KG) and then it calculates the natural
frequencies (or critical buckling load factors) and mode shapes including the
effect of the applied loads. Loads are not considered and their effect will be
ignored unless you activate the in-plane loading option and use the direct solver.
28
It is already shown and can be proved that the natural frequency of the structure
tends to zero as the loads applied on the structure tends to the critical buckling
load. This concept can be easily used in finding critical buckling loads for
structures stiffened due to in-plane loads. One common example is the buckling of
a pipe due to internal pressure and axial loads. Now it is very difficult to estimate
the axial buckling load for a pipe for a given internal pressure since the critical
load factor we obtain after the analysis is to be multiplied by both internal
pressure and the axial loads o obtain the buckling loads for the pipe. For this case,
using the frequency analysis (with in-plane load flag on) we could estimate the
axial load, which makes the first natural frequency of the structure to zero. This
way we could estimate the axial buckling load for any internal pressure or any
other form of stiffening (or softening) loads on the structure.
Consider the following example where we need to estimate the axial buckling
load for a pipe subjected to an internal pressure of 100 N/m2. The pipe is made of
aluminum 1035 alloy and clamped at one end. First, a frequency study (with shell
mesh) is carried out in and an axial force value is determined (by trial and error)
which makes the first natural frequency to be zero.
The direct solver is used with the in-plane load flag on for estimating the
frequencies. During this process, the user may come across a STOP 7-Singular
matrix error, which means that axial loads exceeded the critical buckling load. In
such cases, reducing the axial loads would reduce the excessive softening and
give a positive frequency value. Once after estimating the critical buckling load
using this method, the value could be reconfirmed by a buckling study. Applying
the estimated axial buckling load from the frequency study in the buckling study
should give a critical buckling load factor value of 1.0. In this example the axial
load which makes the first frequency close to zero is found to be 37433 N and
when this same load is applied for the buckling study we obtain the critical load
factor to be 1.0001 confirming the buckling load. It is also a good practice to
compare the mode shapes from both studies and make sure they correspond to
same buckling modes.
This method is applicable to any slender structure softened or stiffened by in-
plane loads.
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Frequency Analysis
Static Analysis
Static Assumption
All loads are applied slowly and gradually until they reach their full magnitudes.
After reaching their full magnitudes, loads will remain constant (time-invariant).
This assumption allows us to disregard insignificant inertial and damping forces
due to negligibly small accelerations and velocities. Time-invariant loads that
induce considerable inertial and/or damping forces may warrant dynamic analysis.
Dynamic loads change with time and, in many cases, induce considerable inertial
and damping forces that cannot be neglected.
Notes:
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Linearity Assumption
The relationship between loads and induced responses is linear. If you double the
magnitude of loads, for example, the response of the model (displacements,
strains, and stresses), will also double. You can assume that the linearity
assumption is valid if:
• All the materials in the model comply with Hook's law, that is stress is directly
proportional to strain.
• The induced displacements are small enough to ignore the change in stiffness
caused by loading.
• Boundary conditions do not vary during the application of loads. Loads must
be constant in magnitude, direction, and distribution. They should not change
while the model is deforming.
Nonlinear Analysis
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Nonlinear problems have to be solved in several steps by updating the tentative
solution after each step and repeating the procedure until a convergence criteria is
satisfied. The loads are applied gradually in each step and an iterative procedure
used so that the equilibrium conditions are satisfied. Thus every load step is a
separate linear analysis by itself!
Typical nonlinear scenarios:
• Materials that exhibit viscoelastic, viscoplastic or creep behavior (the
deformation is a function of the load rate)
• Problems with large strains
What are the specific points to take into account when applying loads
and boundary conditions to shell models?
You can apply loads and boundary conditions to faces, edges, and vertices of your
model. Here are some helpful notes:
• Restraining a face across the thickness is equivalent to restraining any of the
two associated edges. For example, fixing the face of a hole in a shell model is
equivalent to fixing any or both of its circular edges.
• Restraining an edge along the thickness is equivalent to restraining one of the
vertices associated with the edge.
• Since shell elements have rotational degrees of freedom, you must differentiate
between the Immovable restraint (no translation) and the Fixed restraint (no
translation and no rotation). You can also apply concentrated moments.
Introduction
In Roark's "Formulas for Stress and Strain" (pages 405-406 fifth edition) he states
that "when the deflection becomes larger than about one-half the thickness, as
may occur in thin plates, the middle surface becomes appreciably strained and the
stress in it cannot be ignored. It is a load that is not constant over the surface on
which it is applied. When this condition of large deflection obtains, the plate is
stiffer than indicated by the ordinary theory and the load-deflection and load-
stress relations are nonlinear." This phenomenon is when membrane action takes
place. In linear analysis, the lateral stiffness of a slender member remains
constant, independent of magnitude of the loading or other factors. However, in
reality, the lateral stiffness of a slender member may be profoundly affected by the
longitudinal forces acting upon it. Increase in longitudinal tension has the effect of
enhancing the lateral stiffness of a member; an increase in longitudinal
compression has the opposite effect, that is to reduce the lateral stiffness of the
member. The cross-coupling of the longitudinal forces on lateral response is
called membrane effect.
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Problem Setup
Two tests were run to compare and quantify the membrane effect for thin plates; a
Linear analysis and a Nonlinear analysis with the large displacement option. Hand
calculations based on linear theory were also included as reference. The model is
a 10in X 10in plate with a thickness of 0.2 inches. It is simply supported at the
perimeter and is subjected to a 150 psi pressure on the face. The material is Alloy
Steel that is found in the COSMOS/ library (Young’s Modulus (E) = 3.046 x
107psi, Poisson’s ratio (n): 0.28).
Figure 1 shows the boundary conditions that were applied to the model. An
element size of 0.35 inches was used to mesh the model with the standard mesher.
A higher order mesh resulted in six noded triangular elements. Figure 2 shows the
mesh that generated 1626 elements and 3369 nodes.
Formula
The formula for finding the center deflection for a flat rectangular plate under
uniform load is (Roark's "Formulas for Stress and Strain" page 386 fifth edition)
Max Y = (A*q*b^4)/(E*t^3)
Where
• Y = Maximum deflection (in)
• A = a/b; constant on pg. 386 fifth edition of Roark’s Formulas for Stress and
Strain
• a = width (in)
• b = height (in)
• q = load (lbs/in2)
• E = Modulus of Elasticity (lbs/in2)
• t = thickness (in)
Result
Chart 1 compares the results from the theoretical linear displacement, FEA
without the large displacement formulation, and FEA with the large displacement
formulation. All the displacements were measured at the maximum location,
which is at the center of the plate. Percentage error with respect to the theoretical
linear displacement are shown in parenthesis.
Figure 3 shows the Pressure vs. deflection for all three cases. As one can observe,
the FEA solution without the large displacement flag is extremely close to the
handbook solution. At around 50 to 60 psi, the nonlinear solution (with the large
displacement flag) visibly diverges from the linear solutions. In this case, the
membrane effect manifests itself by an increase in lateral stiffness. As stated
before, this is when the deflection becomes larger than approximately one-half the
thickness (as noted in Roark’s Formulas for Stress and Strain). The thickness in
this example is 0.2”.
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Conclusion
A designer must always ask, How accurate are the results? Sure, in this case the
results are accurate to the extent where the question was posed. The linear
solution gave very good results compared to the handbook results. Of course the
answers are incorrect, since the designer did not ask the right question. In this
case, when the deflection of the plate is more than one half its thickness, this leads
one to believe that the results are getting membrane action from shell elements.
One can determine that geometric stiffening is taking effect as displacements
increase; hence a nonlinear analysis with the large displacement option must be
run.
Assembly Analysis
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I am running a surface contact analysis problem. When I right click on
the study name and choose properties, I see an option "Ignore
clearance for surface contact". What does this option mean and how
do I know whether to check this option or not?
Solving contact problems is an iterative process that starts with an initial
deformation guess. Starting with a good initial guess helps the iterative process
converge to the correct solution quickly. The status of this option affects the
initial guess.
This flag is used with surface contact only
When the flag is turned off, initial contact between a node and the associated face
is assumed if the initial distance is less than or equal to a certain threshold (0.5%
of the global element size). If the initial distance exceeds the threshold, no initial
contact is assumed.
If the flag is turned on, initial contact (between each node and its associated face)
is assumed regardless of the initial distance between them. The initial gaps will be
ignored during contact iterations.
This flag should be turned off (default) for most applications. It is specifically
designed to take care of a specific situation when, due to tolerances, a small
clearance exists between faces that should have been initially in contact.
Due to this clearance, the mesh on the two faces, set for contact, may not be
compatible and the elements on both sides may interfere with each other as
dramatized in the figure. The interference in this case is non-physical (introduced
by approximating the geometry by the mesh. The Ignore Clearance for Surface
Contact flag should be turned on in such case.
The flag should not be turned on when the two faces set for surface contact have
large curvature differences.
Turn on the flag in such cases where different curvatures caused by meshing
elements face node. A small clearance that exists between these two faces non-
physical interference that should be smaller than the threshold.
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Checking for Accuracy
44
Results and Visualization
Design Optimization
Motion Simulation
46