Introduction To Basics of FEA and Pro/Mechanica
Introduction To Basics of FEA and Pro/Mechanica
Introduction To Basics of FEA and Pro/Mechanica
What is Pro/MECHANICA
Pro/MECHANICA is an integrated and also independent Finite Element Analysis (FEA) module of Pro/E CAD/CAM system.
Pro/MECHANICA Structure Pro/MECHANICA Thermal Pro/MECHANICA Motion
Pro/MECHANICA Structure
Linear static stress analysis Modal analysis (mode shapes and natural frequencies) Buckling analysis Large deformation analysis (non-linear)
Pro/MECHANICA THERMAL a thermal analysis package that features many of the capabilities of Structure along with heat transfer analysis and thermal design optimization. Pro/MECHANICA MOTION a motion analysis package that provides mechanism modeling and mechanism design optimization capabilities. This product enables you to analyze your mechanism's motion and forces.
Operation Modes
Integrated Easy design change Cannot see mesh, less FEA Linked Both interfaces; combination of the other two modes Comparably more difficult to use Independent Strong FEA Independent to Pro/E; hard to modify
Operation Modes
Modes of Operation
Difference between a CAD & a FEA Model A CAD model is to provide a detailed document for manufacturing. A FEA model simply captures the rough geometry of the design and its loading conditions.
Elimination all unimportant design details that have minor effect on the results of FEA. Use of part symmetry to dramatically reduce the size of the model. Elimination of uninterested portion of the design.
Pre-processing
Invisible in the Integrated mode
Quick Check
Analysis
Multi-pass Adaptive
Post-processing
Displacement Von-mises stress Strain energy
Result Models
(a) Deformation
Convergence Check
max_stress_vm P-Pass Load: load1 strain_energy P-Pass Load: load1
14 m a x _ s t r e s s _ v m X 1 E + 0 0 3 s t r a i n _ e n e r g y X 1 E 0 0 3
2.6
2.4
12
2.2
10
2.0
1.8
1.6
1.4
4 1
1.2
P Loop Pass
P Loop Pass
Analysis
The Von Mises stress is obtained by combining all the stress components at a point
Convergence of FEA
No FEA solution should be accepted unless the convergence properties have been examined Cost vs. Accuracy Simulation vs. Experiment
Convergence of H-elements
Exact Solution Real value Number of Element Displacement
Real value
Intermediate displacement
H size of element
Convergence of P-elements
Up to 9th order polynomials in Pro/MECHANICA The same mesh can be used throughout the convergence analysis, rather than recreating meshes or local mesh refinement required by h-codes. The mesh is virtually always more coarse and contains fewer elements than h-codes.
A mesh of h-elements
A mesh of p-elements
Convergence Methods
Quick Check - the model is run only for a polynomial of order 3. The results of a Quick Check should never be trusted. Single Pass Adaptive - the single pass adaptive method performs one pass at a low polynomial order, assesses the accuracy of the solution, modifies the p-level of problem elements, and does a final pass with some elements raised to an order that should provide reasonable results. Multi-Pass Adaptive - The ultimate in convergence analysis. Multiple p-loop passes are made through the solver, with edge orders of problem elements being increased with each pass. This iterative approach continues until either the solution converges to a specified accuracy or the maximum specified edge order (default 6, maximum 9) is reached.
Sensitivity Study
Max fillet radius Max Von Mises
Fillet radius
Design Optimization
Optimization: A fascinating, useful, mathematical tool An Optimization Model: Min Mass of a Mug as a function of dimensions (D: Diameter,
Height, Thickness) -- Objective
Design Optimization
Another Optimization Model: Min Manufacturing Cost of the Mug -- Objective Subject to Mug Volume > Constant 1
Mug Mass <= Constant 2 Strength > Constant 3 H/D = 1.65 -- Equality Constraint D, H, T, material, tolerances, etc. -- Variables -- Inequality Constraint
-- Optimum
Example
R1 R2 P
Design Optimization
Design Variables: R1 and R2 Constraints: Max stress Min and max values for these variables Objective Function: Reduce the total mass
Design Optimization
Maximum values of design variables
desired goal (such as minimum mass of the body) geometric constraints (such as dimensions or locations of geometric entities), material constraints (such as maximum allowed stress) and one or more design variables
Define a design study Perform the study and plot displacement and stress
Sensitivity Study
max_disp_x Design Var Load: load1 max_stress_vm Design Var Load: load1
M e a s u r e m a x _ d i s p _ x X 1 E 0 0 6
-1.02 M e a s u r e m a x _ s t r e s s _ v m
97 00
-1.04
96 50
-1.06
96 00
-1.08
95 50
-1.10
95 00
-1.12 0.08
0.09
0. 10
0.11
0 .12 d44
0. 13
0.1 4
0.15
94 50 0.08
0 .09
0. 10
0.1 1
0 .12 d44
0.13
0.14
0.15
Design Optimization
Objective: minimize the total mass Constraints: maximum load and deformation 1. Define relations to control the model generation (two design parameters; one is the groove size and the other is the overall fixture size.) Two design variables
Design Optimization
Objective: minimize the total mass Constraints: maximum Von Mises stress and deformation 2. Specify ranges of variables, objective, and constraints 3. Perform the optimization 4. Results plotting and convergence check
Optimal Design
30 s t r a i n _ e n e r g y X 1 E 0 0 3 2.1 25 2.0
t o t a l _ m a s s
20
1.9
15
1.8
10
1.7
5 0
1 Optimization Pass
1.6
1 Optimization Pass
The Total Mass and Strain Energy Convergence Plots in the Optimization
Quick Questions
A CAD model should be simplified for FEA. Unimportant portion of a design can be eliminated if a FEA is carefully defined. A FEA model only includes information of product geometry, loads and constraints. Pro/Mechanica has three convergence methods, namely, quick check, single pass adaptive, and multipass adaptive. Von-mises stress is a better index than strain energy for analysis convergence check. Pro/Mechanica can run independently to Pro/E. What are the three necessary components of an optimization problem?
Summary
General process of FEA Inputs to FEA (4 basic things) H and P-elements Convergence check Sensitivity Analysis Optimization