# 3.

Assembly in Solid Modeling

Digital prototype of actual product consisting of
parts and sub-assemblies
(Chapter # 6, 7 from Lieu & Sorby)

Reference: D.K. Lieu, S. Sorby, "Visualization, Modeling and Graphics

for Engineering Design", Cengage Learning, 2nd Edition, 2016.

Tanmay K. Bhandakkar
Room F34, Department of Mechanical Engineering
Email: tbhanda2@iitb.ac.in
1
Plan of Lecture
• Terminology associated with Assembly
• Constraints during Assembly
• Exploded configuration
• Bill-of-materials
• Top-down AND Bottom-down approach
• Analysis: Stress and Motion

All these topics will be aided with sample examples

in Fusion 360

2
 Assembly Terminology
 Any engineering part is rarely a single entity
 Rather it is collection of multiple parts known as “COMPONENTS”

 Many times, multiple copies of components

are used. These copies are called Parts of a
Bicycle
“INSTANCES”
 “SUBASSEMBLY” is grouping of components
within the overall assembly
 “ASSOCIATIVITY” means attributes (e.g.
geometry, material properties etc.) attached
to a part. Any change in the associativity will
impact the part and its instances.
 “ASSEMBLY HIERARCHY” is the https://www.chicagobikeblog.com/blog/2019/2/24/what-
is-bicycle-assembly

organization or structure of a system.

Improves efficiency, avoid repetitiveness, reduces CPU overload and memory

requirement
3
 Assembly Terminology
 Usually the stationary component in assembly is selected to serve as
the “BASE INSTANCE”. A point is identified as origin and reference
planes (e.g. x-y, y-z, z-x) are identified.
 All other instances/parts are described w.r.t. the x-y-z co-ordinate
system. Every instance has 6 degree of freedoms (DOFs) (3 translation
and 3 rotation). Any constraint applied to the assembly reduces the
DOFs.

4
Bearing Example of Assembly Bearing
#1 #2

SHAFT

FLYWHEEL/MOTOR/GEAR

PART Bearing Shaft Flywheel

Number 2 1 1
Material
Dimensions
Association Grounded

 Type of joint/connection between shaft and flywheel

 The method can be welding, adhesive, keyway & slot etc.
 Same applies to Bearing and Shaft 5
 Assembly Constraints
 “CONCENTRIC CONSTRAINT”: Two instances can be made concentric
with each other.

Source: Lieu & Sorby

 “MATING SURFACE CONSTRAINT”: Surfaces of two parts/instances

need to coincide with each other. In some cases, a gap/offset can also
be prescribed

Source: Lieu & Sorby

With every constraint, one or several DOFs are removed 6

 “COINCIDENT CONSTRAINT”: Two entities (points, lines) are
coincident with each other.
Source: Lieu & Sorby
Source: Lieu & Sorby

 “DISTANCE CONSTRAINT”: Distance is specified between two entities

No constraint or full constraint are usually to be avoided

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 Joints [Connection between parts/sub-assembly]
A joint allows a component to move translationally (back and forth) along the X, Y, or
Z axis or to rotate around one of these axes. Each joint uses the number of degrees
of freedom needed for the intended motion

#1 #2
Revolute

Rigid https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/i
ndex.php?curid=6357267

Slider
https://commons.wikimedia.org
/w/index.php?curid=28117642
8
 Joints [Connection between parts/sub-assembly]

Planar

Cylindrical

https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/i
ndex.php?curid=117248621 https://radiopaedia.org/articles/plane-joint?lang=us

Ball
https://mechanical-engineering-
Pin Slot concepts.blogspot.com/2014/03/kinematic-joints-
types-explained-with.html
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid
=1415219

9
 Exploded Configuration Source:
https://stuffyoulook.
blogspot.com/2016/
12/tips-for-
 A representation of the components in an assembly exploded-views-
drawing.html

 The view uncovers the relationship or order of

assembly of various parts
 Easy to understand

Interferences and Clearances

 Interference is the amount of overlap between instances/parts
 Clearance is the minimum distance between instances/parts

Source: Lieu & Sorby

10
 Bill of Materials
 Table listing of all parts in the assembly, their quantity, material and other
relevant detail

Flash light assembly

Source: Lieu & Sorby

11
 Assembly Strategy

Bottom-Up Top-Down

 All the parts are firstly created  System is first defined

 Assembly hierarchy is established  Space is identified for sub-

 Orient the instances using assemblies, parts

constraints to establish relationship  Function of each component is

between parts articulated and known apriori

 Check for interference/clearances  Usually the preferred approach in

 Obtain the bill of materials professional scenario

 Exploded view for assembly

drawing

1
2
 ANALYSIS
 Geometric Property Analysis: Surface area, Volume, Distance between two
entities, Angle between two entities
 Mass Property Analysis: Mass, Density, Centroid, Moment of Inertia
 Finite Element Analysis (FEA):
 Useful to assess the correctness of design from the point-of-view of
FAILURE
 Under working conditions, the components/parts are subjected to
temperature, wind pressure, gravity, contact induced forces etc.
 Internal forces are generated in the body described as “STRESS”
 To avoid failure, stress should not exceed material prescribed
“STRENGTH”
 FEA helps in the calculation of STRESS under complex loading in a
realistic geometry
 Output of FEA is used to infer chances of failure, life, design
effectiveness 13
 Stress
 Normal stress: Stress normal to plane with normal along one of the co-
ordinate axis. Example:
 Shear stress: Stress along the plane with normal along one of the co-
ordinate axis. Example: ,
Force F Force F Force F

Cutting
Plane Normal stress
Shear stress

Force F
 Principal planes: Planes along which the shear stress vanishes.
 Principal stress: Normal stress on plane with ZERO shear stress. These are
the planes likely to undergo TEARING or FRACTURE failure
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 FEA Results
 Von-Mises stress: Resultant of all the stresses. It’s maximum value is
indicative of PERMANENT DEFORMATION (loss of size and shape)

 Stress concentration

Force F Force F

 Stress concentration is indicative of the variation of geometric

feature as a function of length or angle. Hence a good design should strive
to keep it small 15
 FEA Details
 Finite Element Mesh: The part to be analyzed is divided into small finite-
sized sub-volumes known as elements.
 The elements are polygon (2D) or polyhedral (3D) and the corners are
termed as nodes. Adjacent elements share the nodes.
 The quality of mesh is determined by the aspect ratio, angle in each element
and the number of elements.
 A region where quantities of interest are known to vary rapidly or the
changes in geometry is noteworthy are to be meshed very fine.
 The reduction in size of elements is called mesh refinement. Once the
results become insensitive of the mesh size, the process of refinement is
stopped.
 Boundary conditions in the form of either forces or displacement is specified
along the surface of the component to be analyzed using finite element
method
 FEA can also be used to find out temperature distribution, electromagnetic
field by choosing appropriate module. Values are computed at nodes. 16
 Motion analysis
Study of evolution of position, velocity, acceleration and torque with time
when the model is assumed to be composed of assemblage of rigid bodies
and subjected to time varying external loads
Terminology:
Kinematics: Describes motion of objects without consideration of forces
Dynamics: Study of masses and inertial forces acting on mechanism
Rigid body dynamics: Objects are 3D with centre of mass, moment of inertia
Application:
a) Time required to complete an operation,
b) force required to lift an object,
c) size of motor required
d) correctness of motion etc.

Procedure: Model  Create Joints  Impose external forces 

Simulation  Analysis of results 17