eformed shape with the undeformed shape’s edge is shown in Figure 3.2. Page 15 Figure 3.

2 To list the
stresses in the elements as well as other element data: 1. Click ‘List Results’ on the General
Postprocessor menu. 2. Click ‘Element Solution’. 3. Choose ‘LineElem Results’ in the left box, and
‘Structural’ in the right, then click ‘OK’. The results in the window that appears can also be printed out or
saved to a file from the ‘File’ menu in that window. To list the forces at each node, repeat the above
procedure but choose ‘Nodal force data’ in the left box. To list the reactions at the supports: 1. On the
List Results menu, click ‘Reaction Solu’. 2. Choose the types of reactions you wish to see and click ‘OK’.
Example 4: 3-D Truss In this example we will solve for the member forces and deflections of an elastic
three-dimensional truss, shown in Figure 4.1. Page 16 Figure 4.1 Preprocessor First we will select an
element type, define element and material properties, and define nodes and elements: Selecting an
element type: 1. On the Preprocessor menu, click ‘Element Type’. 2. Click ‘Add/Edit/Delete’. 3. Click
‘Add’. 4. Choose ‘Link’ in the left box and ‘3D spar 8’ in the right, then click ‘OK’. This selects the 3D spar
(twoforce member) element. Defining real constants: For this problem we will use inches as our distance
units and pounds for our force units. 1. On the Preprocessor menu, click ‘Real Constants’. 2. Click ‘Add’,
then ‘OK’ in the box that appears. 3. Enter 1 (1 square inch) in the box marked ‘Cross-sectional area’. All
the members will have this crosssectional area, so only one real constant set is needed. Now click ‘OK’
and close the Real Constants box. Defining material properties: 1. Click ‘Material Props’ on the
Preprocessor menu. 2. Click ‘Material Models’, then click ‘OK’. 3. Double-click ‘Structural’ in the right
side of the window, then ‘Linear’, then ‘Elastic’, then finally ‘Isotropic’. 4. Enter 30e6 in the box marked
‘EX’. This is a ballpark value for steel. Then click ‘OK’. Page 17 For this problem, we will create nodes and
elements directly rather than making an intermediate model. Defining nodes: 1. Under the ‘-Modeling-‘
heading on the Preprocessor menu, click ‘Create’. 2. Click ‘Nodes’ (in the bottom section of the menu).
3. Click ‘In Active CS’. 4. Enter the following nodes, clicking ‘Apply’ after each one: Node number X Y Z 1
0 0 0 2 36 0 0 3 36 36 0 4 0 36 0 5 0 0 36 6 36 0 36 7 36 36 36 8 0 36 36 9 0 0 72 10 36 0 72 11 36 36 72
12 0 36 72 13 0 0 108 After you have finished, click ‘OK’ and close the Nodes menu. Defining elements:
You almost certainly want to rotate the view in the graphics window now so that you can see all of the
nodes clearly and distinctly. You can do this by choosing ‘Pan/Zoom/Rotate’ from the PlotCtrls menu on
the utility menu bar at the top of the screen. Click the ‘+X’, ‘-X’, etc. buttons until you are satisfied with
the picture on the screen, then click ‘Close’. 1. Click ‘Elements’ on the Create menu (just below Nodes).
2. Under the ‘-Auto Numbered-‘ heading, click ‘Thru Nodes’. 3. First we will create the horizontal and
vertical elements, since they will clutter the graphics window less than the diagonal elements. From this
window you can create elements by clicking on the nodes at their Page 18 ends, then clicking ‘Apply’;
create elements in a square pattern between nodes 1-2-3-4, 5-6-7-8, and 9-10- 11-12, as shown in Figure
4.2 (note that node 1 is at the origin and is not visibly numbered). Figure 4.2 4. Now create vertical
elements between vertically adjoining nodes, as shown in Figure 4.3. Figure 4.3 5. Now create diagonal
elements across each horizontal square pattern of elements, going from the corner nearest the origin to
the corner opposite, as shown in the Figure 4.4. Figure 4.4 Page 19 6. Finally, create the out-of-plane
diagonal elements. These should slope down from the node in one tier closest to the origin to the
adjoining nodes in the one below (Figure 4.5), and from the node in one tier farthest from the origin to
those same nodes in the one below. There should also be one last element from node 13 to node 11.
The final configuration should match Figure 4.1 (repeated below). Figure 4.5 Figure 4.1 (repeated)
Solution Next we will apply loads and support displacements, then solve the problem. Applying
displacements: 1. On the Solution menu, under the ‘-Loads-‘ heading click ‘Apply’. 2. Click
‘Displacement’. 3. Click ‘On Nodes’. 4. Pick nodes 1, 2, 3, and 4, then click ‘OK’. 5. Select ‘All DOF’ and
enter a displacement value of 0. This fixes the nodes at the bottom of the truss. Applying loads: 1. On
the Apply menu, click ‘Force/Moment’. Page 20 2. Click ‘On Nodes’. 3. Click node 13, then click ‘OK’. 4.
Leave the direction of the force as ‘FX’, and enter a value of 1000, then click ‘OK’. Solving the problem:
1. Under the ‘-Solve-‘ heading of the Solution menu, click ‘Current LS’. Review the information
presented, and if everything seems in order, click ‘OK’. ANSYS will solve the problem. Postprocessor
Finally we will view the deformed shape and list the member forces in the Postprocessor. Viewing the
deformed shape: 1. On the General Postprocessor menu, click ‘Plot Results’. 2. Click ‘Deformed Shape’.
3. Choose ‘Def + undef edge’ to see the deformed shape plus the edges of the original shape, then click
‘OK’. Listing member forces: 1. On the General Postprocessor menu, click ‘List Results’. 2. Click ‘Element
Solution’. 3. Click ‘Nodal force data’ in the left window, then click ‘OK’. A listing of the forces in each
element will appear. Example 5: Simple 2-D Heat Transfer In this example we will solve a simple transfer
problem on the plate-with-three-holes model we used for our first example on static 2-D stress analysis.
Preprocessor First we will read in the database file from the original example. Reading in the database:
1. On the ‘File’ menu on the menu bar at the top of the screen, click ‘Resume from’. 2. In the file
selection box that appears, find and select your database file, then click ‘OK’. Next we will define the
new element type. Defining an element type: 1. On the Preprocessor menu, click ‘Element Type’. Page
21 2. Click ‘Add/Edit/Delete’. 3. Click ‘Add’ 4. Choose ‘Solid’ under the Thermal heading in the left box
(you will need to scroll down), and ‘Quad 4node 55’ in the right box, then click ‘OK’. This selects a four-
noded quadrilateral 2-D thermal element. Next we will input the additional material property needed
for this thermal problem: The material’s thermal conductivity. Defining material properties: 1. Click
‘Material Props’ on the Preprocessor menu. 2. Click ‘Material Models’, then click ‘OK’. 3. Double-click
‘Thermal’ in the right side of the window, then ‘Conductivity’, then ‘Isotropic’. 4. Enter 154 in the box
marked ‘KXX’ (154 W/m-K is the thermal conductivity of 6061-T4 aluminum), then click ‘OK’. Now we
will destroy the old mesh and create a new one using the new thermal element type. Meshing: 1. On the
Preprocessor menu, click ‘MeshTool’. 2. Click ‘Clear’ (near the bottom of the box). 3. Click on the plate,
then click ‘OK’ in the Clear Areas pick box (or just click ‘Pick All’ in the pick box). The elements will now
be removed (all if you have plotted the elements, they will still be shown in the graphics window). 4.
Now, in the Element Attributes section of the MeshTool, choose ‘Global’ and click ‘Set’. 5. Click on the
box labeled ‘Element type number’, then select the PLANE55 element (the thermal element defined
earlier). Now click ‘OK’. 6. Click ‘Mesh’, then ‘Pick All’ in the Mesh pick box. ANSYS will now mesh the
model with thermal fournoded quadrilateral elements. 7. Close the MeshTool. Solution Next we apply
thermal “loads” and solve the problem in the Solution phase. First we will remove the old displacement
and load boundary conditions from the earlier analysis. Applying loads: 1. Click ‘Delete’ under the ‘-
Loads-‘ heading on the Solution menu. 2. Click ‘All Load Data’. 3. Click ‘All Loads & Opts’. 4. Click ‘OK’ in
the confirmation box. Page 22 Now we will apply the thermal boundary conditions. Applying boundary
conditions: 1. Click ‘Apply’ under the ‘-Loads-‘ heading on the Solution menu. 2. Under the ‘-Thermal-‘
heading, click ‘Temperature’. 3. Click ‘On lines’. 4. Pick the left edge of the plate, then click ‘OK’ in the
pick box. 5. Enter 0 into the box for load TEMP value (for 0 degrees Celsius, or whatever reference
temperature you choose), then click ‘OK’. 6. Now click ‘Heat Flux’ under the ‘-Thermal-‘ heading on the
Apply menu. 7. Click ‘On Lines’. 8. Click the right edge of the plate, then click ‘OK’ in the pick box. 9.
Enter a heat flux of 100 (100 W/m per meter depth of the plate), then click ‘OK’. The other sides are left
splacement to all the edges. 5. Select UZ to be constrained, then enter a displacement value of 0 and
click ‘OK’. Applying loads: The eigenvalue buckling analysis outputs scale factors on the pre-existing
loads rather than loads themselves, so it is most convenient to apply unit loads. 1. On the Apply Loads
menu, click ‘Pressure’. 2. Click ‘On Lines’. 3. Pick the left and right edges of the plate, then click ‘OK’. 4.
Enter in a pressure value of 1, then click ‘OK’. Turning on prestress effects: Prestress effects must be
included in an eigenvalue buckling analysis. Turn on prestress effects by typing “PSTRES,ON” (without
the quotes) and pressing Enter in the ANSYS command window. WITHOUT TURNING ON PRESTRESS
EFFECTS YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO PERFORM THE BUCKLING ANALYSIS. Solving the static analysis: 1.
On the Solution menu under the ‘Solve’ heading, click ‘Current LS’. 2. Review the solution information
given. If everything is in order click ‘OK’. ANSYS will then solve the static analysis. Solution (eigenvalue
buckling analysis) Setting the eigenvalue buckling analysis type: 1. On the Solution menu under the ‘-
Analysis Type-‘ heading, click ‘New Analysis’. 2. Choose ‘Eigen Buckling’, then click ‘OK’. The Solution
menu will disappear after this, and you will need to bring it back up. Setting analysis options: 1. On the
Solution menu, click ‘Analysis Options’. 2. Set the mode extraction method to ‘Subspace’, and enter in 2
for the number of modes to extract (we are only interested in the first mode in which it buckles, but the
absence of any constraints on rotation about the Z axis will introduce an extra “buckling” mode of
simple rotation at a load of approximately 0). Then click ‘OK’. 3. In the Subspace Eigenvalue Buckling box
that appears, leave all the settings at their defaults and click ‘OK’. Page 30 Setting mode expansion
options: 1. Under the ‘-Load Step Opts-‘ heading, click ‘ExpansionPass’. 2. Click ‘Expand Modes’. 3. Enter
2 in the box for number of modes to expand, then click ‘OK’. Solving the eigenvalue buckling analysis: 1.
On the Solution menu under ‘-Solve-‘, click ‘Current LS’. 2. Review the solution information given. If
everything is in order click ‘OK’. ANSYS will then solve the eigenvalue buckling analysis. Postprocessor
Listing buckling loads: 1. On the General Postprocessor menu, click ‘Results Summary’. The number in
the ‘TIME/FREQ’ column is the buckling load. ANSYS gives the buckling load as 75,127 N/m, close to the
expected value of 75.9 kN/m. Viewing the buckled shape: 1. On the General Postprocessor menu under
the ‘-Read Results-‘ heading, click ‘Last Set’. This will read in the second set of mode results, the one for
the actual buckling mode. 2. On the General Postprocessor menu, click ‘Plot Results’. 3. Under the ‘-
Contour Plot-‘ heading, click ‘Nodal Solu’. 4. In the left box select ‘DOF solution’, and in the right box
select ‘Translation UZ’, then click ‘OK’. Figure 7.2 shows the results; the plate buckles in mode 2 as
expected. Figure 7.2 Page 31 Example 8: Plate Buckling Analysis Part 2: Nonlinear Buckling Analysis In
the second part of this example we will find the critical load for buckling of a thin flat plate by nonlinear
buckling analysis. Nonlinear buckling analysis in ANSYS is somewhat simpler than eigenvalue buckling
analysis since there is only one solution step; however, it can require more than one load step in
solution. In general, a nonlinear buckling analysis is simply a nonlinear static analysis in which the load is
increased until the solution fails to converge, indicating that the structure cannot support the applied
load (or that numerical difficulties prevent solution). If the structure does not lose its ability to support
additional load when it buckles (the plate we are analyzing is an example of such a structure), a
nonlinear buckling analysis can also be used to track post-buckling behavior. We will not carry out post-
buckling analysis here because of uncertainty in the validity of the results. We will use the plate model
from the previous part of this example, so we do not need to use the Preprocessor. Solution Setting the
analysis type: 1. On the Solution menu, click ‘New Analysis’. 2. Choose ‘Static’, then click ‘OK’. 3. Click
‘Analysis Options’. 4. Set large deformation effects (NLGEOM) to ‘ON’. 5. Under the ‘[SSTIF][PSTRES]’
heading near the bottom of the box, click the box next to ‘Stress stiffness or prestress’ and choose
‘Stress stiff ON’. Then click ‘OK’. Applying loads: We will use two load steps for this problem. From the
ANSYS manual, “A load step is simply a configuration of loads for which a solution is obtained.” Each
load step is divided into one or more substeps, where solutions are calculated. In a nonlinear static
analysis, multiple substeps are used to apply the loads gradually so that a more accurate solution can be
obtained; in a dynamic analysis they are used to specify time steps for integration. For this problem we
will use one load step to load the plate edges up to 70 kN/m, then another to slowly increase the load
from 70 kN/m to 80 kN/m, past the expected buckling load. We will also apply a small out-of-plane load
to the plate where maximum displacement occurred in the eigenvalue buckling analysis, to generate the
initial out-of-plane displacement to get buckling started. First load step: 1. Under the ‘-Loads-‘ heading
on the Solution menu, click ‘Apply’. 2. Click ‘Pressure’. 3. Click ‘On Lines’. Page 32 4. Pick the left and
right edges of the plate, then click ‘OK’. 5. Enter a pressure value of 70e3, then click ‘OK’. 6. On the
Apply Loads menu, click ‘Force/Moment’. 7. Click ‘On Nodes’. 8. Click the fourth node from on the left
on the centerline of the plate, then click ‘OK’. 9. Select ‘FZ’ for the force direction and enter a load value
of 0.1 (0.1 N), then click ‘OK’. This is the load to generate the out-of-plane displacements 10. Under the
‘-Load Step Opts-‘ heading on the Solution menu, click ‘Time/Frequenc’. 11. Click ‘Time and Substeps’.
12. Enter a time at end of load step of 70e3 and a number of substeps of 3. (Since this is not a
timedependent problem, time is just a dummy variable and will be used in this case to keep track of the
applied load. The number of substeps is chosen to give the solution plenty of chance to converge.) Leave
the boundary conditions set to ‘Ramped’ to gradually apply the load. 13. On the Solution menu, click
‘Write LS File’. (You will need to click ‘Unabridged Menu’ on the Solution menu to access this menu item
in ANSYS 5.7.) 14. Enter a load step number of 1, then click ‘OK’. Second load step: 1. Under the ‘-Loads-‘
heading on the Solution menu, click ‘Apply’. 2. Click ‘Pressure’. 3. Click ‘On Lines’. 4. Pick the left and
right edges of the plate, then click ‘OK’. 5. Enter a pressure value of 80e3, then click ‘OK’. 6. Under the ‘-
Loads-‘ heading on the Solution menu, click ‘Delete’. 7. Click ‘Force/Moment’. 8. Click ‘On Nodes’. 9. Pick
the node where we applied the out-of-plane force, then click ‘OK’. 10. Leave the force/moment to be
deleted set to ‘ALL’, and click ‘OK’. 11. Under the ‘-Load Step Options-‘ heading on the Solution menu,
click ‘Output Ctrls’. 12. Click ‘DB/Results File’. 13. Choose a file write frequency of every substep, then
click ‘OK’. (We will want to view the results at every load value to determine the buckling load). 14.
Under the ‘-Load Step Options-‘ heading on the Solution menu, click ‘Time/Frequenc’. 15. Click ‘Time
and Substps’. Page 33 16. Enter a time at the end of the load step of 80e3 and a number of substeps of
10. Also enter a minimum number of substeps of 10 in the automatic time stepping section below, so
that in case ANSYS decides to perform automatic time stepping it will give at least as many load values
as desired. Then click ‘OK’. 17. On the Solution menu, click ‘Write LS File’. 18. Enter a load step number
of 2, then click ‘OK’. Solving the problem: 1. Under the ‘-Solve-‘ heading on the Solution menu, click
‘From LS Files’. 2. Enter a starting LS file number of 1 and an ending file number of 2, then click ‘OK’.
ANSYS will now solve the problem. Since there are 13 total solutions specified and each is somewhat
long, the solution will take a while. General Postprocessor 1. Under the ‘-Read Results-‘ heading on the
General Postprocessor menu, click ‘First Set’. 2. Click ‘Plot Results’. 3. Under the ‘-Contour Plot-‘
heading, click ‘Nodal Solu’. 4. Choose ‘DOF solution’ in the left box and ‘Translation UZ’ in the right, then
click ‘OK’. As before, the lack of rotation constraints will mean some of the solutions will show rotation
of the plate. This can be ignored. 5. To see the rest of the results, under the ‘-Read Results-‘ heading on
the General Postprocessor menu, click ‘Next Set’, then repeat steps 2-4 above. From the contour plots of
UZ, the plate appears to buckle at a load between 70 kN/m and 71 kN/m (time—load—is shown at the
right side of the window). The plot at 71 kN/m is shown in Figure 8.1. Figure 8.1 This is a comparatively
coarse way of determining buckling load. To get a more precise value we could modify load step 2 to go
from 70 kN/m to 71 kN/m with as many substeps as before. If the plate had Page 34 buckled
catastrophically (losing its ability to support further load), we could also have found the buckling load
quickly by activating automatic time stepping, which would have bisected the load range repeatedly
until it reached the (user-specified) minimum load increment between the upper and lower bounds on
the buckling load. However, since the plate continues to support additional load after it buckles, ANSYS
cannot tell by itself when buckling occurs in this case. Time History Postprocessor We will use the Time
History Postprocessor to plot the out-of-plane displacement of the plate versus load. 1. On the ANSYS
Main menu, click ‘TimeHist Postpro’. 2. We will need to see the elements and nodes, so click ‘Elements’
under the ‘Plot’ menu on the ANSYS utility menu bar at the top of the screen. 3. On the TimeHist
Postprocessor menu, click ‘Define Variables’. 4. Click ‘Add’. 5. Leave the variable type set to ‘Nodal DOF
result’, and click ‘OK’. 6. Pick the fourth node from the right on the centerline of the plate, then click
‘OK’. 7. Choose ‘Translation UZ’ in the lower right box for the data item to be placed in a variable. You
can also define a name (such as “zdisp”) for the variable for convenience. When you are done click ‘OK’.
8. On the TimeHist Postprocessor menu, click ‘Graph Variables’. 9. Enter 2 as the first variable to graph
(variables here must be referred to by their reference number rather than their user-defined names),
then click ‘OK’. The resulting plot is shown in Figure 8.2. Figure 8.2 The Z displacement before 70 kN/m
load is due to the out-of-plane force. The jump in z displacement from 70 kN/m to 71 kN/m corresponds
to buckling, although it is less noticeable than the out-of-plane displacements before it. Page 35
Example 9: Simple Dynamic Analysis In this example we will observe the deflection over time of the end
of a beam hit with a short-duration impact. The beam is 1 meter long, has a 2 cm by 2 cm square cross-
section, and is made of aluminum. Preprocessor Element type: 1. On the Preprocessor menu, click
‘Element type’. 2. Click ‘Add/Edit/Delete’. 3. Click ‘Add’. 4. Choose ‘Beam’ under the Structural heading
from the list on the left, and ‘2D elastic 3’ from the list on the right, then click ‘OK’. Real constants: 1.
Click ‘Real constants’ on the Preprocessor menu. 2. Click ‘Add’ 3. Click ‘OK’ in the Element Type for Real
Constants box. 4. Enter 4e-4 for the cross-sectional area, 16e-8/12 for the area moment for inertia
(ANSYS will do the arithmetic for us), and 2e-2 for the total beam height, then click ‘OK’. Material
properties: 1. Click ‘Material Props’ on the Preprocessor menu. 2. Click ‘Material Models’, then click
‘OK’. 3. Double-click ‘Structural’ in the right side of the window, then ‘Linear’, then ‘Elastic’, then finally
‘Isotropic’. 4. Enter in 70e9 for Young’s modulus, 2.7e3 for density, and 0.3 for Poisson’s ratio. Modeling:
1. Under the ‘-Modeling-‘ heading on the Preprocessor menu, click ‘Create’. 2. Click ‘Keypoints’. 3. Click
‘In Active CS’. 4. Define the following keypoints: Keypoint X Y 1 0 0 2 1 0 Page 36 5. On the Create menu,
under the ‘-Lines-‘ heading click ‘Lines’. 6. Click ‘In Active Coord’. 7. Click the two keypoints, then click
‘OK’. Meshing: 1. On the Preprocessor menu, click ‘MeshTool’. 2. Under Lines in the Size Controls
section, click ‘Set’. 3. In the pick box, click ‘Pick All’. (This is faster than clicking the one line then clicking
‘OK’). 4. Enter 20 into the box for number of element divisions, then click ‘OK’. 5. In the MeshTool box,
click ‘Mesh’; in the pick box, click ‘Pick All’. The model is now meshed, and you are done in the
Preprocessor. Solution Defining the analysis: 1. On the Solution menu, click ‘New Analysis’. 2. Choose
‘Transient’, then click ‘OK’. Applying loads: In a transient analysis in ANSYS, the total time span of the
analysis is broken up into “load steps”, specific periods of different loading configurations. In this
analysis we will use four load steps: Ramped application of the force to the end of the beam from time
0 to 10-5 seconds. Constant force on the beam from 10-5 seconds to 5x10-5 seconds Ramped removal
of the force from 5x10-5 seconds to 6x10-5 seconds No applied loads from 6x10-5 seconds to 0.06
seconds. In defining these load steps we will take advantage of ANSYS’s feature of automatically
ramping loads to their final values. First load step: 1. Under the ‘-Loads-‘ heading on the Solution menu,
click ‘Apply’. 2. Click ‘Displacement’. 3. Click ‘On Keypoints’. 4. Click the left end of the beam, then click
‘OK’. 5. Click ‘All DOF’, then click ‘OK’. 6. On the Apply Loads menu, click ‘Force/Moment’. 7. Click ‘On
Keypoints’. 8. Click the right end of the beam, then click ‘OK’. Page 37 9. Choose the direction of the
force as FY and enter a value of 1e3 (1 kN), then click ‘OK’. 10. On the Solution menu, under the ‘-Load
Step Opts-‘ heading click ‘Output Ctrls’. 11. Click ‘DB/Results File’. 12. Choose a file write frequency of
once every substep, then click ‘OK’. 13. On the Solution menu, under the ‘-Load Step Opts-‘ heading click
‘Time/Frequency’. 14. Click ‘Time - Time Step’. 15. Enter a time at the end of the load step of 1e-5 and a
time step of 1e-6, then click ‘OK’. 16. On the Solution menu, click ‘Write LS File’. (You will need to click
‘Unabridged Menu’ on the Solution menu to access this menu item in ANSYS 5.7.) 17. Enter a load step
number of 1, then click ‘OK’. Second load step: We will be able to keep most of the same settings from
the previous load step now. 1. On the Solution menu, under the ‘-Load Step Opts-‘ heading click
‘Time/Frequency’. 2. Click ‘Time - Time Step’. 3. Enter a time at the end of the load step of 5e-5 and a
time step size of 5e-6, the click ‘OK’. We will keep the same loading, constraints, and so forth. The force
on the end of the beam was ramped in the last load step, but since in this load step it has the same
starting and ending value it will be constant. 4. On the Solution menu, click ‘Write LS File’. 5. Enter a load
step number of 2, then click ‘OK’. Third load step: 1. On the Solution menu, under the ‘-Loads-‘ heading
click ‘Delete’. 2. Click ‘Force/Moment’ under the ‘-Structural-‘ heading. 3. Click ‘On Keypoints’. 4. Click
the right end of the beam, then click ‘OK’. 5. Leave the force/moment to be deleted set to ‘ALL’, and
click ‘OK’. 6. On the Solution menu, under the ‘-Load Step Opts-‘ heading click ‘Time/Frequency. 7. Click
‘Time - Time Step’. 8. Enter a time at the end of the load step of 6e-5 and a time step size of 1e-6, then
click ‘OK’. 9. On the Solution menu, click ‘Write LS File’. 10. Enter in a load step number of 3, then click
‘OK’. Page 38 Fourth load step: 1. On the Solution menu, under the ‘-Load Step Opts-‘ heading click
‘Time/Frequency’. 2. Click ‘Time - Time Step’. 3. Enter in a time at the end of the load step of 0.06 and a
time step of 6e-4. (This will result in a large number of individual steps in solution, but since each step in
this transient analysis takes a very short amount of time the total time for solution will still be okay.) 4.
On the Solution menu, click ‘Write LS File’. 5. Enter a load step number of 4, then click ‘OK’. Solving the
problem: 1. On the Solution menu, under the ‘-Solve-‘ heading click ‘From LS Files’. 2. Enter a starting
load step number of 1 and an ending load step number of 4, then click ‘OK’. ANSYS will now solve the
problem according to the load step files. Postprocessor For problems with multiple steps, we use the
Time History Postprocessor. In this problem, we will use the Time History Postprocessor to graph the
deflection of the beam tip versus time. 1. On the ANSYS main menu, click ‘TimeHist Postpro’. 2. Click
‘Define Variables’. 3. Click ‘Add’. 4. Leave the type of variable set to ‘Nodal DOF result’ and click ‘OK’. 5.
Click the right end of the beam, then click ‘OK’. 6. Choose ‘Translation UY’ from the box at the right. You
can also give the variable a name such as “disp_end” in the user-specified label box. Then click ‘OK’. 7.
On the TimeHist Postprocessor menu, click ‘Graph Variables’. 8. Enter ‘2’ as the first variable to graph (in
this section ANSYS only recognizes variable reference numbers, not user-specified names). Then click
‘OK’. The graph is shown in Figure 9.1. Page 39 Figure 9.1 Example 10: Box Beam In this example we will
analyze a box beam—that is, a beam constructed of a thin web intended to bear shear stress between a
set of booms intended to bear normal stresses. This structure is very similar to the idealized beam
sections modeled in AA 332, except that the booms and web will be modeled as beam and plate
elements rather than axial-force-only rods and shear-only panels; this will provide a more realistic
model, and using only rods and shear panels for this sort of analysis often leaves too many
unconstrained degrees of freedom for ANSYS to solve. The beam to be analyzed is shown in Figure 10.1;
it is 1 meter long, 20 cm wide, and 20 cm deep; the booms have a square cross-section 1 cm on a side
and the web is 0.5 mm thick. The entire structure is made of aluminum with E = 70 GPa and nu = 0.3. A
load of 1 kilonewton is applied at the center of the top boom at the right end of the beam. Page 40
Figure 10.1 Preprocessor Element type: We will need two element types for this problem: a 3D beam
element and a shell element. 1. On the Preprocessor menu, click ‘Element Type’. 2. Click
‘Add/Edit/Delete’. 3. Click ‘Add’. 4. Choose ‘Beam’ under the Structural heading on the left and ‘3D
elastic 4’ on the right (you will need to scroll down), then click ‘Apply’. 5. Choose ‘Shell’ under the
Structural heading on the left and ‘Elastic 4node 63’ on the right, then click ‘OK’. Real constants: 1. Click
‘Real Constants’ on the Preprocessor menu. 2. Click ‘Add/Edit/Delete’. 3. Click ‘Add’. 3. Choose ‘Type 1
BEAM1’, then click ‘OK’. 4. Enter an area of 1e-4, second area moments of 1e-8/12, and thicknesses in
the Y and Z directions of 1e2, then click ‘OK’. 5. Click ‘Add’ again. 6. Choose ‘Type 2 SHELL63’, then click
‘OK’. 7. Enter a thickness at each node of 0.0005, then click ‘OK’. Page 41 Material properties: 1. Click
‘Material Props’ on the Preprocessor menu. 2. Click ‘Material Models’, then click ‘OK’. 3. Double-click
‘Structural’ in the right side of the window, then ‘Linear’, then ‘Elastic’, then finally ‘Isotropic’. 4. Enter a
modulus of elasticity (“EX”) of 70e9 and a Poisson’s ratio (“PRXY”) of 0.3, then click ‘OK’. Modeling:
Defining keypoints: 1. Under the ‘-Modeling-‘ heading on the Preprocessor menu, click ‘Create’. 2. Click
‘Keypoints’. 3. Click ‘In Active CS’. 4. Define the following keypoints, clicking ‘Apply’ after each: Keypoint
number X Y Z 1 0 0 0 2 0 0.2 0 3 0 0.2 0.2 4 0 0 0.2 5 1.1 0 0 6 1.3 0 0 The last two keypoints are not part
of the model; however, they will be used later to help create the areas for the model. When you have
finished, click ‘Cancel’. Creating lines: 1. On the ‘Create’ menu, click ‘Lines’. 2. Click ‘Straight Line’. 3.
Create lines from keypoints 1-2, 2-3, 3-4, and 4-1 by clicking on the endpoints of each line. You should
have a square in the YZ plane. Note that you will need to use the Pan-Zoom-Rotate function on the
PlotCtrls menu to be able to select the points. 4. Create a line between keypoints 5 and 6, then click
‘Cancel’. Creating areas: 1. Under the ‘-Modeling-‘ heading on the Preprocessor menu, click ‘Operate’. 2.
Click ‘Extrude / Sweep’. This menu allows you to easily create prisms and bodies of revolution. Page 42
3. Under the ‘-Lines-‘ heading, click ‘Along Lines’. 4. Select the lines in the square between keypoints 1-4,
then click ‘OK’. 5. Select the line between keypoints 5 and 6, then click ‘Apply’. ANSYS will now create
areas defined by sweeping the lines selected in step 4 through the direction and length of the line just
picked. 6. Repeat steps 4 and 5 (selecting the lines at the “front” of each newly created set of areas)
until you have five square tubular segments, then click ‘Cancel’. These segments will form the box beam.
7. You will now want to remove the line between keypoints 5 and 6 so that it won’t get in the way later.
Under the ‘-Modeling-‘ heading on the Preprocessor menu, click ‘Delete’. 8. Click ‘Lines and Below’. This
will delete a line and all the points used to define it. 9. Click the line between keypoints 5 and 6, then
click ‘OK’. Defining element attributes: 1. On the Preprocessor menu, click ‘MeshTool’. 2. Under
‘Element Attributes’, click ‘Areas’, then click ‘Set’. 3. Click ‘Pick All’, choose real constant set 2 (for the
shell elements) and element type 2 (SHELL63), then click ‘OK’. 4. Again under ‘Element Attributes’, click
‘Lines’, then click ‘Set’. 5. Click ‘Pick All’, choose real constant set 1 (for the beam elements) and element
type 1 (BEAM4), then click ‘OK’. Meshing: We will use a moderate-sized mesh for this problem, since
theory says that the stresses in the box beam will not vary rapidly. 1. In the MeshTool box, under the
Size Controls heading, click ‘Set’ next to ‘Global’ 2. Enter 4 as the number of element divisions, then click
‘OK’. 4. Under the Mesh heading, choose ‘Areas’, then choose the mapped mesher and click ‘Mesh’. 5.
Click ‘Pick All’. ANSYS will now mesh the web of the box beam. 6. Under the Mesh heading, choose
‘Lines’, then click ‘Mesh’. 7. Click ‘Pick All’. ANSYS will now mesh the booms. You are now done with the
Preprocessor. Solution Applying loads: 1. Under the ‘-Loads-‘ heading on the Solution menu, click
‘Apply’. 2. Click ‘Displacement’. Page 43 3. Click ‘On Lines’. 4. Click the four lines at the back end of the
box beam (in the YZ plane), then click ‘OK’. 5. Choose ‘All DOF’ as the degree of freedom to be
constrained, then enter a displacement value of zero and click ‘OK’. 6. On the ‘Apply’ menu, click
‘Force/Moment’. 7. Click ‘On Nodes’. 8. Pick the node at center of the top line at the end of the beam
(the line furthest in the X and Y directions), then click ‘OK’. 9. Choose a force direction of FY and enter a
value of -1000, then click ‘OK’. Solving the problem: 1. Under the ‘-Solve-‘ heading, click ‘Current LS’. 2.
Review the information that appears. If everything appears to be in order, click ‘OK’. ANSYS will now
solve the problem. Postprocessor Viewing the von Mises stress in the beam: Since aluminum is a ductile
material, the von Mises failure criterion is appropriate for it. Since the von Mises stress is a combined
measure of all the stresses on a material, it will also help show whether the stress in the sides of the
beam is uniform as predicted by theory. 1. On the General Postprocessor menu, click ‘Plot Results’. 2.
Under the ‘-Contour Plot-‘ heading, click ‘Nodal Solu’. 3. Choose ‘Stress’ from the left box and ‘von Mises
SEQV’ from the right box (you will need to scroll down), then click ‘OK’. A plot of the von Mises stress in
the beam appears (shown in Figure 10.2). Although the stresses are not uniform near the fixed end of
the beam, further out they are close to constant. Page 44 Figure 10.2 Viewing the shear stress in the
web: From an idealized-structure analysis, we expect the shear stress in the web at the sides to be 5
MPa and the shear stress in the web at the top and bottom to be zero. 1. On the General Postprocessor
menu, click ‘Plot Results’. 2. Under the ‘-Contour Plot-‘ heading, click ‘Nodal Solu’. 3. Choose ‘Stress from
the left box and ‘XY-shear SXY’ from the right box, then click ‘OK’. The resulting plot of shear stresses is
shown in Figure 10.3; the magnitude of the stress in the side webs is close to 5 MPa, and the XY shear
stress in the top and bottom webs is small. (For a more accurate estimate we could list the results.) Plots
of the other two shear stresses also yield results consistent with theory, although there are XZ shear
stress concentrations around the ends of the vertical booms. Figure 10.3
ANSYS 5.6 Tutorials Lecture # 2 - Static Structural Analysis Example 1 – Static Analysis of a Bracket 1.
Problem Description: The objective of the problem is to demonstrate the basic ANSYS procedures for
performing a simple analysis. This problem is a simple 2 dimensional static structural problem of a
simple bracket as shown in the figure. This bracket is made of a 20 mm thick steel plate. The material
properties of steel are given below: Young’s modulus or Elastic Modulus, E = 200x109 Pascals Poisson’s
ratio, g = 0.3 Density, r = 7860 kg/m3 Loading and Boundary conditions: The plate is to be welded at the
two smaller weld holes and a point load of 1000 N has to be applied along the y-axis as shown. The
welded holes restrain the model in both x and y directions. 2. Approach and Assumptions: We assume
this problem to be a 2 dimensional problem as the applied loads and the boundary conditions are in the
x-y plane only. The thickness can be taken into account into the calculations in ANSYS without actually
modeling in 3D. The approach is to model the bracket as a 2D solid model and generate the elements
and mesh automatically. We can also create the nodes and elements separately. But such an approach
would be a waste of time for a simple model as given in the example. 80 60 R10(TYP) R20(TYP) R30 R50
PLATE THICKNESS: 20 mm ALL DIM IN mm P=1000N 3. Summary of Steps: a) Preprocessing: - Create the
solid model. - Choose the element type. - Assign real constants for the chosen element type - Assign
material properties. - Mesh the model. b) Solution: - Apply the displacement boundary conditions -
Apply the loads - Solve the model c) Post processing: - Read the results. - Plot the deformed shape.
Compare with the undeformed shape. - Plot the von Mises stress. - Animate the stress output and study
the trend - List the reaction solution - Exit ANSYS 5.6 4. Outline of Hand-out Conventions: Before
entering ANSYS 5.6, here is an outline of the layout of the tutorial handout. · The handout starts from,
“How to enter ANSYS 5.6?” to “How to end session?” However, the user may find some problems due to
the version of ANSYS or some lack of continuity in the handout or due to a different operating system.
The user may contact the instructor for clarifications. · This tutorial is designed for use on ANSYS 5.6
operating on Windows 95/97/2000 or Windows NT. Also the tutorials follows the GUI mode (Graphic
User Interface). · Whenever the handout has commands in ITALICS, it means that the user should follow
the menu options as directed. · There would also be a description of the operation performed to help
the user to understand what he is doing. · The handout will also provide with pictures, tables and menus
as it appears on the ANSYS window for more clarity. · The Analysis procedure described in the handout
may not be the only procedure to do the analysis. Neither is it the easiest procedure. But it has been
designed such that the user gets exposed to as much options as possible. 5. Starting ANSYS 5.6: · Start ->
Programs -> Engineering Programs -> ANSYS 5.6 -> Interactive · In the opened window, change the
working directory to C:\temp · Run You have now entered the ANSYS workspace. You can find that the
main menu of ANSYS is open. If not, go to MenuCtrls -> Main Menu 6. File Operations: 6.1 Title of
Analysis: In the Utility menu bar (the menu bar on the top of the screen), go to File -> Change Title. You
can give a title name of your choice. Say, “ Static Analysis of a Bracket”. 6.2 Analysis File Name: It is a
good practice to give a file name even before you start the analysis. File -> Save As One more word of
caution. ANSYS does not save the analysis into your file name when you give File -> Save. Instead it saves
it into the default filename “file.db”. So every time to save a file, we have to say File -> Save As and
overwrite the existing file. 7. Creating the Model: This is the first step of preprocessing. Preprocessing is
the ANSYS analysis phase where you provide data regarding the geometry, element type, material
properties and meshing. It would be referred in ANSYS as PREP7. The model can be created in many
different ways. One of the easiest ways is to use the Rectangle and Circle Primitives – Primitives are
simple predefined geometric shapes ANSYS provides - as effectively as possible. So the geometry is to be
viewed as an assemblage of circles and rectangles. a) Define the Rectangle: The first step is to create a
base rectangle to which circles and other rectangles are to be added upon or subtracted from. Let us
consider the lower left corner of the bracket as the origin. · Main Menu –> Preprocessor -> (-Modeling-)
Create -> (-Areas-) Rectangle -> By 2 Corners CAUTION: It is the responsibility of the user to ensure that
the consistency of units be maintained throughout the analysis. It is best to first solve a simple problem
as given in the assignment for which the analytical results are available. · Close the Rectangle Menu after
creating it. b) Create the Circle: · Main Menu –> Preprocessor -> (-Modeling-) Create -> (-Areas-) Circle ->
Solid Circle · The area plot shows both rectangle and circle, which are areas, in the same color. To more
clearly distinguish between areas, turn on area numbers and colors. The "Plot Numbering Controls"
dialog box on the Utility Menu controls how items are displayed in the Graphics Window. By default, a
"replot" is automatically performed upon execution of the dialog box. The replot operation will repeat
the last plotting operation that occurred (in this case, an area plot). Utility Menu -> PlotCtrls ->
Numbering -> Area numbering ON c) Adding the Circle and Rectangle: · Main Menu –> Preprocessor -> (-
Modeling-) Operate -> (-Boolean-) Add -> Areas · The Select window opens. Select both the areas and
press OK. · Now you can see that the areas are merged into a single area and the area number and color
is also single. d) Creating the R30 bigger hole: · As in the previous case, we have to first draw the circle
and then perform the Boolean operation to subtract that area from the original area · Main Menu –>
Preprocessor -> (-Modeling-) Create -> (-Areas-) Circle -> Solid Circle Main menu –> Preprocessor -> (-
Modeling-) Operate -> (-Boolean-) Subtract -> Areas CIRCLE CREATION MENU BOOLEAN (Subtraction)
MENU · During the Boolean Subtraction - Pick the area from which subtraction is going to take place(the
bigger area, A3), PRESS OK. Then Pick area which is being subtracted (smaller area, A1), PRESS OK. e) To
create the Fillet: · To create the Fillet, we have to first create the Line Fillet. Then an area is created by
the enclosure formed by the line fillet and then performing the Boolean Subtraction to subtract the fillet
area from the main area. · It is better to operate with lines when we create a line fillet. · Utility Menu ->
Plot -> Lines · Main Menu -> Preprocessor ->(-Modeling-) Create -> (-Lines-)Line Fillet · As shown in the
adjoining figure, the lines that are to be filleted are selected and the fillet radius is given as 20. This
creates the line fillet over the already existing area. So we have to create an area by the lines
encompassing this fillet and subtract it from the bracket area. · Main Menu –> Preprocessor -> (-
Modeling-) Create -> (-Areas-) Arbitrary -> By Lines · In the select window, select the 3 lines that make
the area of the first fillet and click apply. Then select the area which form the second fillet and select OK
· Main menu –> Preprocessor -> (-Modeling-) Operate -> (-Boolean-) Subtract -> Areas · Now pick the
bracket area (Base area from which subtraction is done) and press OK in the Pick Window. Then pick the
Fillet areas (Areas to be subtracted) and press OK. f) To create the Weld Holes: · Similar to the R 30 hole
which we created in step (b), we can create the two weld holes with the following parameters.
Parameter Weld Hole 1 Weld Hole 2 WP X 20 20 WP Y 20 80 Radius 10 10 · Main Menu –> Preprocessor -
> (-Modeling-) Create -> (-Areas-) Circle -> Solid Circle · Main menu –> Preprocessor -> (-Modeling-)
Operate -> (-Boolean-) Subtract -> Areas · The completed geometry would look like the figure below
SAVE AS.. Ur Filename.db 8. Element Type, Real Constants and Material Properties: a) Element Types -
Indicates the element types used in the problem; over 100 element types are available in ANSYS. You
choose an element type which characterizes, among other things, the degree-of-freedom set
(displacements and/or rotations, temperatures, etc.) the characteristic shape of the element (line,
quadrilateral, brick, etc.), whether the element lies in 2-D space or 3-D space, the response of your
system, and the accuracy level you're interested in. For this analysis, we can use a 8 noded structural
solid element called PLANE82. Since our system is of relatively simple geometry and loading, PLANE82 is
sufficient. Results can be made accurate by having a very fine mesh. · Main Menu -> Preprocessor ->
Element type -> Add/Edit/Delete -> · Structural Family of Elements -> Solid -> Quad 8 node 82 -> OK · To
account for the thickness of the bracket, the element options is selected to include calculation of stress
including the thickness of the bracket. · Defined Element type Window -> Options -> (Pull down Menu)
Element Behavior K3 -> Plane strs w/thk . ELEMENT DEFINITION ELEMENT OPTION DEFINITION b) Real
Constants: Real constants provide additional geometry information for element types whose geometry
is not fully defined by its node locations. Typical real constants include shell thickness for shell elements
and cross-sectional properties for beam elements. All properties required as input for a particular
element type are entered as one set of real constants. · Main Menu -> Preprocessing -> Real constants -
> Add ->Real Constant Set Number -> THK 20 c) Material Properties: Physical properties of a material
such as modulus of elasticity or density that are independent of geometry. Although they are not
necessarily tied to the element type, the material properties required to solve the element matrices are
listed for each element type for your convenience. Depending on the application, material properties
may be linear, nonlinear, and/or anisotropic. As with element types and real constants, you may have
multiple material property sets (to correspond with multiple materials) within one analysis. Each set is
given a reference number. · Main Menu -> Preprocessing -> MaterialProps -> (-Constant-) Isotropic ·
Give the material a number label and press OK. · Input the material properties in the Material property
window. ANSYS provides us with a library of materials also. For accessing this library, we have to find the
path name under the ANSYS directory for MATLIB directory. · Main Menu -> Preprocessing ->
MaterialProps -> Material Library -> Library path · The Library path typically would be something like
this, c:\ansys56\matlib · Once you have entered the library, you can select from the list of materials
available in ANSYS. · Main Menu -> Preprocessing -> MaterialProps -> Material Library -> Import Library
9. The Meshing Process: Having defined the material properties, element type and the real constants,
we can go ahead and mesh the model. One nice feature available in ANSYS is that we can generate the
mesh automatically without breaking our heads to calculate the optimum mesh size. Depending on the
degree of refinement required, we can choose either a course or a fine mesh size. Depending on the
generated mesh, we can even refine it further. · Main menu -> Preprocessor -> (-Meshing-) Size Cntrls ->
(-Manual Size-) (-Global-)Size · In the Size field, enter the number 5. This means that the element is to
have a nominal size of 5x5 mm2 . Press OK · Main menu -> Preprocessor -> (-Meshing-) Mesh -> (-Areas-)
Free · Pick the area to be meshed and press OK. You should be getting a mesh close to the one shown
below. · SAVE AS …….. filename.db 10. Loads and Constraints: Now we have started the SOLUTION phase
of the analysis. ANSYS analysis phase where you define analysis type and options, apply loads and load
options, and initiate the finite element solution. A new, static analysis is the default. a) Application of
Displacement Constraints: · As described in the problem description, the 2 smaller holes are to be
welded from the inside. This means that the degrees of freedom (dofs) are zero in the x and y directions
i.e. no displacements in the x and y directions. · Main Menu -> Solution -> (-Loads-) Apply ->(-Structural-)
Displacement -> On Lines · Pick the lines that comprise the weld holes and press OK. · Pick All DOF under
Lab2 -> Enter 0 for Value. · This simulates the effect of a rigidly welded hole in actual practice. b)
Application of a Point Load: As specified in the problem, a vertical load of 1000 N has to be applied on
the larger hole at the bottom quadrant point. · Main Menu -> Solution ->(-Loads-) Apply ->
Force/Moment -> On Keypoints… … · Pick the Keypoint in the lower quadrant and press OK. · In the Load
Window, Choose the direction of force to be Fy. · The Apply as field is to be set at the default value of
‘Constant Value’ · In the Force/Moment Value, Input force value as –1000 as the force is a downward (-
ve y) acting force . 11. SOLUTION: Now we have finished modeling, meshing and defining the loads of
the model. Now we have to solve the model and get the results. The default setting for solution control
holds good for such a model. We have to modify the solution controls for different types of analysis as
the case demands. · Main Menu -> Solution -> (-Solve-) Current LS. · The above command indicates that
we are solving for the current load step. Once you click on the OK button, a dialog box that shows the
different input parameters appears. We need to review the parameters and when we find it to be
satisfactory, we can start the solution by pressing OK after closing the dialog box. · If the model is good,
a dialog box appears to say that the solution is done. · The solutions are stored in the results file “file.rst”
as this is a structural analysis. If it had been a thermal analysis, the results file is “file.rth”. · SAVE_AS
jobname.db 12. POST PROCESSING: The model has been solved and the user now has to invoke the
POSTPROCESSING to view the results in a user-friendly manner. The postprocessor processes the results
of the FEA, which is a huge 2n x 1 matrix of the displacements in the x and y directions, into user friendly
plots. Also the post processor calculates other derived quantities like Stress, Strain, Strain energy etc. for
the user to peruse. · Main Menu -> Postprocessing -> (-Read Results-) Last Set · The above command
reads the final iteration result of the analysis. a) To plot the deformed shape: · Main Menu ->
Postprocessing -> Plot Results -> Deformed Shape · Now we select Def + Undefrmed press OK. · We
should get an output that should resemble something like the figure given below. b) To plot the von
Mises Stress field: · Main Menu -> Postprocessing -> Plot Results ->(-Contour Plot-) -> Nodal Solution · In
the plot results window, click on the Stress field and on the right hand box, scroll down till we find von
Mises SEQV. The dialogue box would look like this. Press OK. The results would look something like the
plot given below. 13. Modifying the loads and reviewing the results: This section is an extension of the
previous model for the student to gain more insight into the analysis powers of ANSYS. The user has to
go back to the solution and delete the point load and apply other types of loads. a) Try out with a
pressure of 10000 N/m2 acting on the lower quadrant of the bigger hole. b) Include into the above
model the effect of self-weight by including the gravitational loads – Gravitational loads are listed in
Main Menu -> Solution ->(-Loads-) Apply ->Gravity c) Compare the results of the above two models. d)
While solving the model with the gravity observe the solution status window before solving. The
solution status window is the one given below. 14. Quitting ANSYS 5.6: · Utility Menu -> File -> Exit -
>………… . On the window, pick on Quit, No Save References: 1. www.ansys.com 2. www.uni-
karlsruhe.de/~ANSYS/ALBERT/bracket/bracket.html 3. ANSYS Structural Analysis Command Guide
ANSYS 5.6 Tutorials Lecture # 2 - Static Structural Analysis Example 1 – Static Analysis of a Bracket 1.
Problem Description: The objective of the problem is to demonstrate the basic ANSYS procedures for
performing a simple analysis. This problem is a simple 2 dimensional static structural problem of a
simple bracket as shown in the figure. This bracket is made of a 20 mm thick steel plate. The material
properties of steel are given below: Young’s modulus or Elastic Modulus, E = 200x109 Pascals Poisson’s
ratio, g = 0.3 Density, r = 7860 kg/m3 Loading and Boundary conditions: The plate is to be welded at the
two smaller weld holes and a point load of 1000 N has to be applied along the y-axis as shown. The
welded holes restrain the model in both x and y directions. 2. Approach and Assumptions: We assume
this problem to be a 2 dimensional problem as the applied loads and the boundary conditions are in the
x-y plane only. The thickness can be taken into account into the calculations in ANSYS without actually
modeling in 3D. The approach is to model the bracket as a 2D solid model and generate the elements
and mesh automatically. We can also create the nodes and elements separately. But such an approach
would be a waste of time for a simple model as given in the example. 80 60 R10(TYP) R20(TYP) R30 R50
PLATE THICKNESS: 20 mm ALL DIM IN mm P=1000N 3. Summary of Steps: a) Preprocessing: - Create the
solid model. - Choose the element type. - Assign real constants for the chosen element type - Assign
material properties. - Mesh the model. b) Solution: - Apply the displacement boundary conditions -
Apply the loads - Solve the model c) Post processing: - Read the results. - Plot the deformed shape.
Compare with the undeformed shape. - Plot the von Mises stress. - Animate the stress output and study
the trend - List the reaction solution - Exit ANSYS 5.6 4. Outline of Hand-out Conventions: Before
entering ANSYS 5.6, here is an outline of the layout of the tutorial handout. · The handout starts from,
“How to enter ANSYS 5.6?” to “How to end session?” However, the user may find some problems due to
the version of ANSYS or some lack of continuity in the handout or due to a different operating system.
The user may contact the instructor for clarifications. · This tutorial is designed for use on ANSYS 5.6
operating on Windows 95/97/2000 or Windows NT. Also the tutorials follows the GUI mode (Graphic
User Interface). · Whenever the handout has commands in ITALICS, it means that the user should follow
the menu options as directed. · There would also be a description of the operation performed to help
the user to understand what he is doing. · The handout will also provide with pictures, tables and menus
as it appears on the ANSYS window for more clarity. · The Analysis procedure described in the handout
may not be the only procedure to do the analysis. Neither is it the easiest procedure. But it has been
designed such that the user gets exposed to as much options as possible. 5. Starting ANSYS 5.6: · Start ->
Programs -> Engineering Programs -> ANSYS 5.6 -> Interactive · In the opened window, change the
working directory to C:\temp · Run You have now entered the ANSYS workspace. You can find that the
main menu of ANSYS is open. If not, go to MenuCtrls -> Main Menu 6. File Operations: 6.1 Title of
Analysis: In the Utility menu bar (the menu bar on the top of the screen), go to File -> Change Title. You
can give a title name of your choice. Say, “ Static Analysis of a Bracket”. 6.2 Analysis File Name: It is a
good practice to give a file name even before you start the analysis. File -> Save As One more word of
caution. ANSYS does not save the analysis into your file name when you give File -> Save. Instead it saves
it into the default filename “file.db”. So every time to save a file, we have to say File -> Save As and
overwrite the existing file. 7. Creating the Model: This is the first step of preprocessing. Preprocessing is
the ANSYS analysis phase where you provide data regarding the geometry, element type, material
properties and meshing. It would be referred in ANSYS as PREP7. The model can be created in many
different ways. One of the easiest ways is to use the Rectangle and Circle Primitives – Primitives are
simple predefined geometric shapes ANSYS provides - as effectively as possible. So the geometry is to be
viewed as an assemblage of circles and rectangles. a) Define the Rectangle: The first step is to create a
base rectangle to which circles and other rectangles are to be added upon or subtracted from. Let us
consider the lower left corner of the bracket as the origin. · Main Menu –> Preprocessor -> (-Modeling-)
Create -> (-Areas-) Rectangle -> By 2 Corners CAUTION: It is the responsibility of the user to ensure that
the consistency of units be maintained throughout the analysis. It is best to first solve a simple problem
as given in the assignment for which the analytical results are available. · Close the Rectangle Menu after
creating it. b) Create the Circle: · Main Menu –> Preprocessor -> (-Modeling-) Create -> (-Areas-) Circle ->
Solid Circle · The area plot shows both rectangle and circle, which are areas, in the same color. To more
clearly distinguish between areas, turn on area numbers and colors. The "Plot Numbering Controls"
dialog box on the Utility Menu controls how items are displayed in the Graphics Window. By default, a
"replot" is automatically performed upon execution of the dialog box. The replot operation will repeat
the last plotting operation that occurred (in this case, an area plot). Utility Menu -> PlotCtrls ->
Numbering -> Area numbering ON c) Adding the Circle and Rectangle: · Main Menu –> Preprocessor -> (-
Modeling-) Operate -> (-Boolean-) Add -> Areas · The Select window opens. Select both the areas and
press OK. · Now you can see that the areas are merged into a single area and the area number and color
is also single. d) Creating the R30 bigger hole: · As in the previous case, we have to first draw the circle
and then perform the Boolean operation to subtract that area from the original area · Main Menu –>
Preprocessor -> (-Modeling-) Create -> (-Areas-) Circle -> Solid Circle Main menu –> Preprocessor -> (-
Modeling-) Operate -> (-Boolean-) Subtract -> Areas CIRCLE CREATION MENU BOOLEAN (Subtraction)
MENU · During the Boolean Subtraction - Pick the area from which subtraction is going to take place(the
bigger area, A3), PRESS OK. Then Pick area which is being subtracted (smaller area, A1), PRESS OK. e) To
create the Fillet: · To create the Fillet, we have to first create the Line Fillet. Then an area is created by
the enclosure formed by the line fillet and then performing the Boolean Subtraction to subtract the fillet
area from the main area. · It is better to operate with lines when we create a line fillet. · Utility Menu ->
Plot -> Lines · Main Menu -> Preprocessor ->(-Modeling-) Create -> (-Lines-)Line Fillet · As shown in the
adjoining figure, the lines that are to be filleted are selected and the fillet radius is given as 20. This
creates the line fillet over the already existing area. So we have to create an area by the lines
encompassing this fillet and subtract it from the bracket area. · Main Menu –> Preprocessor -> (-
Modeling-) Create -> (-Areas-) Arbitrary -> By Lines · In the select window, select the 3 lines that make
the area of the first fillet and click apply. Then select the area which form the second fillet and select OK
· Main menu –> Preprocessor -> (-Modeling-) Operate -> (-Boolean-) Subtract -> Areas · Now pick the
bracket area (Base area from which subtraction is done) and press OK in the Pick Window. Then pick the
Fillet areas (Areas to be subtracted) and press OK. f) To create the Weld Holes: · Similar to the R 30 hole
which we created in step (b), we can create the two weld holes with the following parameters.
Parameter Weld Hole 1 Weld Hole 2 WP X 20 20 WP Y 20 80 Radius 10 10 · Main Menu –> Preprocessor -
> (-Modeling-) Create -> (-Areas-) Circle -> Solid Circle · Main menu –> Preprocessor -> (-Modeling-)
Operate -> (-Boolean-) Subtract -> Areas · The completed geometry would look like the figure below
SAVE AS.. Ur Filename.db 8. Element Type, Real Constants and Material Properties: a) Element Types -
Indicates the element types used in the problem; over 100 element types are available in ANSYS. You
choose an element type which characterizes, among other things, the degree-of-freedom set
(displacements and/or rotations, temperatures, etc.) the characteristic shape of the element (line,
quadrilateral, brick, etc.), whether the element lies in 2-D space or 3-D space, the response of your
system, and the accuracy level you're interested in. For this analysis, we can use a 8 noded structural
solid element called PLANE82. Since our system is of relatively simple geometry and loading, PLANE82 is
sufficient. Results can be made accurate by having a very fine mesh. · Main Menu -> Preprocessor ->
Element type -> Add/Edit/Delete -> · Structural Family of Elements -> Solid -> Quad 8 node 82 -> OK · To
account for the thickness of the bracket, the element options is selected to include calculation of stress
including the thickness of the bracket. · Defined Element type Window -> Options -> (Pull down Menu)
Element Behavior K3 -> Plane strs w/thk . ELEMENT DEFINITION ELEMENT OPTION DEFINITION b) Real
Constants: Real constants provide additional geometry information for element types whose geometry
is not fully defined by its node locations. Typical real constants include shell thickness for shell elements
and cross-sectional properties for beam elements. All properties required as input for a particular
element type are entered as one set of real constants. · Main Menu -> Preprocessing -> Real constants -
> Add ->Real Constant Set Number -> THK 20 c) Material Properties: Physical properties of a material
such as modulus of elasticity or density that are independent of geometry. Although they are not
necessarily tied to the element type, the material properties required to solve the element matrices are
listed for each element type for your convenience. Depending on the application, material properties
may be linear, nonlinear, and/or anisotropic. As with element types and real constants, you may have
multiple material property sets (to correspond with multiple materials) within one analysis. Each set is
given a reference number. · Main Menu -> Preprocessing -> MaterialProps -> (-Constant-) Isotropic ·
Give the material a number label and press OK. · Input the material properties in the Material property
window. ANSYS provides us with a library of materials also. For accessing this library, we have to find the
path name under the ANSYS directory for MATLIB directory. · Main Menu -> Preprocessing ->
MaterialProps -> Material Library -> Library path · The Library path typically would be something like
this, c:\ansys56\matlib · Once you have entered the library, you can select from the list of materials
available in ANSYS. · Main Menu -> Preprocessing -> MaterialProps -> Material Library -> Import Library
9. The Meshing Process: Having defined the material properties, element type and the real constants,
we can go ahead and mesh the model. One nice feature available in ANSYS is that we can generate the
mesh automatically without breaking our heads to calculate the optimum mesh size. Depending on the
degree of refinement required, we can choose either a course or a fine mesh size. Depending on the
generated mesh, we can even refine it further. · Main menu -> Preprocessor -> (-Meshing-) Size Cntrls ->
(-Manual Size-) (-Global-)Size · In the Size field, enter the number 5. This means that the element is to
have a nominal size of 5x5 mm2 . Press OK · Main menu -> Preprocessor -> (-Meshing-) Mesh -> (-Areas-)
Free · Pick the area to be meshed and press OK. You should be getting a mesh close to the one shown
below. · SAVE AS …….. filename.db 10. Loads and Constraints: Now we have started the SOLUTION phase
of the analysis. ANSYS analysis phase where you define analysis type and options, apply loads and load
options, and initiate the finite element solution. A new, static analysis is the default. a) Application of
Displacement Constraints: · As described in the problem description, the 2 smaller holes are to be
welded from the inside. This means that the degrees of freedom (dofs) are zero in the x and y directions
i.e. no displacements in the x and y directions. · Main Menu -> Solution -> (-Loads-) Apply ->(-Structural-)
Displacement -> On Lines · Pick the lines that comprise the weld holes and press OK. · Pick All DOF under
Lab2 -> Enter 0 for Value. · This simulates the effect of a rigidly welded hole in actual practice. b)
Application of a Point Load: As specified in the problem, a vertical load of 1000 N has to be applied on
the larger hole at the bottom quadrant point. · Main Menu -> Solution ->(-Loads-) Apply ->
Force/Moment -> On Keypoints… … · Pick the Keypoint in the lower quadrant and press OK. · In the Load
Window, Choose the direction of force to be Fy. · The Apply as field is to be set at the default value of
‘Constant Value’ · In the Force/Moment Value, Input force value as –1000 as the force is a downward (-
ve y) acting force . 11. SOLUTION: Now we have finished modeling, meshing and defining the loads of
the model. Now we have to solve the model and get the results. The default setting for solution control
holds good for such a model. We have to modify the solution controls for different types of analysis as
the case demands. · Main Menu -> Solution -> (-Solve-) Current LS. · The above command indicates that
we are solving for the current load step. Once you click on the OK button, a dialog box that shows the
different input parameters appears. We need to review the parameters and when we find it to be
satisfactory, we can start the solution by pressing OK after closing the dialog box. · If the model is good,
a dialog box appears to say that the solution is done. · The solutions are stored in the results file “file.rst”
as this is a structural analysis. If it had been a thermal analysis, the results file is “file.rth”. · SAVE_AS
jobname.db 12. POST PROCESSING: The model has been solved and the user now has to invoke the
POSTPROCESSING to view the results in a user-friendly manner. The postprocessor processes the results
of the FEA, which is a huge 2n x 1 matrix of the displacements in the x and y directions, into user friendly
plots. Also the post processor calculates other derived quantities like Stress, Strain, Strain energy etc. for
the user to peruse. · Main Menu -> Postprocessing -> (-Read Results-) Last Set · The above command
reads the final iteration result of the analysis. a) To plot the deformed shape: · Main Menu ->
Postprocessing -> Plot Results -> Deformed Shape · Now we select Def + Undefrmed press OK. · We
should get an output that should resemble something like the figure given below. b) To plot the von
Mises Stress field: · Main Menu -> Postprocessing -> Plot Results ->(-Contour Plot-) -> Nodal Solution · In
the plot results window, click on the Stress field and on the right hand box, scroll down till we find von
Mises SEQV. The dialogue box would look like this. Press OK. The results would look something like the
plot given below. 13. Modifying the loads and reviewing the results: This section is an extension of the
previous model for the student to gain more insight into the analysis powers of ANSYS. The user has to
go back to the solution and delete the point load and apply other types of loads. a) Try out with a
pressure of 10000 N/m2 acting on the lower quadrant of the bigger hole. b) Include into the above
model the effect of self-weight by including the gravitational loads – Gravitational loads are listed in
Main Menu -> Solution ->(-Loads-) Apply ->Gravity c) Compare the results of the above two models. d)
While solving the model with the gravity observe the solution status window before solving. The
solution status window is the one given below. 14. Quitting ANSYS 5.6: · Utility Menu -> File -> Exit -
>………… . On the window, pick on Quit, No Save References: 1. www.ansys.com 2. www.uni-
karlsruhe.de/~ANSYS/ALBERT/bracket/bracket.html 3. ANSYS Structural Analysis Command Guide
ANSYS 5.6 Tutorials Lecture # 2 - Static Structural Analysis Example 1 – Static Analysis of a Bracket 1.
Problem Description: The objective of the problem is to demonstrate the basic ANSYS procedures for
performing a simple analysis. This problem is a simple 2 dimensional static structural problem of a
simple bracket as shown in the figure. This bracket is made of a 20 mm thick steel plate. The material
properties of steel are given below: Young’s modulus or Elastic Modulus, E = 200x109 Pascals Poisson’s
ratio, g = 0.3 Density, r = 7860 kg/m3 Loading and Boundary conditions: The plate is to be welded at the
two smaller weld holes and a point load of 1000 N has to be applied along the y-axis as shown. The
welded holes restrain the model in both x and y directions. 2. Approach and Assumptions: We assume
this problem to be a 2 dimensional problem as the applied loads and the boundary conditions are in the
x-y plane only. The thickness can be taken into account into the calculations in ANSYS without actually
modeling in 3D. The approach is to model the bracket as a 2D solid model and generate the elements
and mesh automatically. We can also create the nodes and elements separately. But such an approach
would be a waste of time for a simple model as given in the example. 80 60 R10(TYP) R20(TYP) R30 R50
PLATE THICKNESS: 20 mm ALL DIM IN mm P=1000N 3. Summary of Steps: a) Preprocessing: - Create the
solid model. - Choose the element type. - Assign real constants for the chosen element type - Assign
material properties. - Mesh the model. b) Solution: - Apply the displacement boundary conditions -
Apply the loads - Solve the model c) Post processing: - Read the results. - Plot the deformed shape.
Compare with the undeformed shape. - Plot the von Mises stress. - Animate the stress output and study
the trend - List the reaction solution - Exit ANSYS 5.6 4. Outline of Hand-out Conventions: Before
entering ANSYS 5.6, here is an outline of the layout of the tutorial handout. · The handout starts from,
“How to enter ANSYS 5.6?” to “How to end session?” However, the user may find some problems due to
the version of ANSYS or some lack of continuity in the handout or due to a different operating system.
The user may contact the instructor for clarifications. · This tutorial is designed for use on ANSYS 5.6
operating on Windows 95/97/2000 or Windows NT. Also the tutorials follows the GUI mode (Graphic
User Interface). · Whenever the handout has commands in ITALICS, it means that the user should follow
the menu options as directed. · There would also be a description of the operation performed to help
the user to understand what he is doing. · The handout will also provide with pictures, tables and menus
as it appears on the ANSYS window for more clarity. · The Analysis procedure described in the handout
may not be the only procedure to do the analysis. Neither is it the easiest procedure. But it has been
designed such that the user gets exposed to as much options as possible. 5. Starting ANSYS 5.6: · Start ->
Programs -> Engineering Programs -> ANSYS 5.6 -> Interactive · In the opened window, change the
working directory to C:\temp · Run You have now entered the ANSYS workspace. You can find that the
main menu of ANSYS is open. If not, go to MenuCtrls -> Main Menu 6. File Operations: 6.1 Title of
Analysis: In the Utility menu bar (the menu bar on the top of the screen), go to File -> Change Title. You
can give a title name of your choice. Say, “ Static Analysis of a Bracket”. 6.2 Analysis File Name: It is a
good practice to give a file name even before you start the analysis. File -> Save As One more word of
caution. ANSYS does not save the analysis into your file name when you give File -> Save. Instead it saves
it into the default filename “file.db”. So every time to save a file, we have to say File -> Save As and
overwrite the existing file. 7. Creating the Model: This is the first step of preprocessing. Preprocessing is
the ANSYS analysis phase where you provide data regarding the geometry, element type, material
properties and meshing. It would be referred in ANSYS as PREP7. The model can be created in many
different ways. One of the easiest ways is to use the Rectangle and Circle Primitives – Primitives are
simple predefined geometric shapes ANSYS provides - as effectively as possible. So the geometry is to be
viewed as an assemblage of circles and rectangles. a) Define the Rectangle: The first step is to create a
base rectangle to which circles and other rectangles are to be added upon or subtracted from. Let us
consider the lower left corner of the bracket as the origin. · Main Menu –> Preprocessor -> (-Modeling-)
Create -> (-Areas-) Rectangle -> By 2 Corners CAUTION: It is the responsibility of the user to ensure that
the consistency of units be maintained throughout the analysis. It is best to first solve a simple problem
as given in the assignment for which the analytical results are available. · Close the Rectangle Menu after
creating it. b) Create the Circle: · Main Menu –> Preprocessor -> (-Modeling-) Create -> (-Areas-) Circle ->
Solid Circle · The area plot shows both rectangle and circle, which are areas, in the same color. To more
clearly distinguish between areas, turn on area numbers and colors. The "Plot Numbering Controls"
dialog box on the Utility Menu controls how items are displayed in the Graphics Window. By default, a
"replot" is automatically performed upon execution of the dialog box. The replot operation will repeat
the last plotting operation that occurred (in this case, an area plot). Utility Menu -> PlotCtrls ->
Numbering -> Area numbering ON c) Adding the Circle and Rectangle: · Main Menu –> Preprocessor -> (-
Modeling-) Operate -> (-Boolean-) Add -> Areas · The Select window opens. Select both the areas and
press OK. · Now you can see that the areas are merged into a single area and the area number and color
is also single. d) Creating the R30 bigger hole: · As in the previous case, we have to first draw the circle
and then perform the Boolean operation to subtract that area from the original area · Main Menu –>
Preprocessor -> (-Modeling-) Create -> (-Areas-) Circle -> Solid Circle Main menu –> Preprocessor -> (-
Modeling-) Operate -> (-Boolean-) Subtract -> Areas CIRCLE CREATION MENU BOOLEAN (Subtraction)
MENU · During the Boolean Subtraction - Pick the area from which subtraction is going to take place(the
bigger area, A3), PRESS OK. Then Pick area which is being subtracted (smaller area, A1), PRESS OK. e) To
create the Fillet: · To create the Fillet, we have to first create the Line Fillet. Then an area is created by
the enclosure formed by the line fillet and then performing the Boolean Subtraction to subtract the fillet
area from the main area. · It is better to operate with lines when we create a line fillet. · Utility Menu ->
Plot -> Lines · Main Menu -> Preprocessor ->(-Modeling-) Create -> (-Lines-)Line Fillet · As shown in the
adjoining figure, the lines that are to be filleted are selected and the fillet radius is given as 20. This
creates the line fillet over the already existing area. So we have to create an area by the lines
encompassing this fillet and subtract it from the bracket area. · Main Menu –> Preprocessor -> (-
Modeling-) Create -> (-Areas-) Arbitrary -> By Lines · In the select window, select the 3 lines that make
the area of the first fillet and click apply. Then select the area which form the second fillet and select OK
· Main menu –> Preprocessor -> (-Modeling-) Operate -> (-Boolean-) Subtract -> Areas · Now pick the
bracket area (Base area from which subtraction is done) and press OK in the Pick Window. Then pick the
Fillet areas (Areas to be subtracted) and press OK. f) To create the Weld Holes: · Similar to the R 30 hole
which we created in step (b), we can create the two weld holes with the following parameters.
Parameter Weld Hole 1 Weld Hole 2 WP X 20 20 WP Y 20 80 Radius 10 10 · Main Menu –> Preprocessor -
> (-Modeling-) Create -> (-Areas-) Circle -> Solid Circle · Main menu –> Preprocessor -> (-Modeling-)
Operate -> (-Boolean-) Subtract -> Areas · The completed geometry would look like the figure below
SAVE AS.. Ur Filename.db 8. Element Type, Real Constants and Material Properties: a) Element Types -
Indicates the element types used in the problem; over 100 element types are available in ANSYS. You
choose an element type which characterizes, among other things, the degree-of-freedom set
(displacements and/or rotations, temperatures, etc.) the characteristic shape of the element (line,
quadrilateral, brick, etc.), whether the element lies in 2-D space or 3-D space, the response of your
system, and the accuracy level you're interested in. For this analysis, we can use a 8 noded structural
solid element called PLANE82. Since our system is of relatively simple geometry and loading, PLANE82 is
sufficient. Results can be made accurate by having a very fine mesh. · Main Menu -> Preprocessor ->
Element type -> Add/Edit/Delete -> · Structural Family of Elements -> Solid -> Quad 8 node 82 -> OK · To
account for the thickness of the bracket, the element options is selected to include calculation of stress
including the thickness of the bracket. · Defined Element type Window -> Options -> (Pull down Menu)
Element Behavior K3 -> Plane strs w/thk . ELEMENT DEFINITION ELEMENT OPTION DEFINITION b) Real
Constants: Real constants provide additional geometry information for element types whose geometry
is not fully defined by its node locations. Typical real constants include shell thickness for shell elements
and cross-sectional properties for beam elements. All properties required as input for a particular
element type are entered as one set of real constants. · Main Menu -> Preprocessing -> Real constants -
> Add ->Real Constant Set Number -> THK 20 c) Material Properties: Physical properties of a material
such as modulus of elasticity or density that are independent of geometry. Although they are not
necessarily tied to the element type, the material properties required to solve the element matrices are
listed for each element type for your convenience. Depending on the application, material properties
may be linear, nonlinear, and/or anisotropic. As with element types and real constants, you may have
multiple material property sets (to correspond with multiple materials) within one analysis. Each set is
given a reference number. · Main Menu -> Preprocessing -> MaterialProps -> (-Constant-) Isotropic ·
Give the material a number label and press OK. · Input the material properties in the Material property
window. ANSYS provides us with a library of materials also. For accessing this library, we have to find the
path name under the ANSYS directory for MATLIB directory. · Main Menu -> Preprocessing ->
MaterialProps -> Material Library -> Library path · The Library path typically would be something like
this, c:\ansys56\matlib · Once you have entered the library, you can select from the list of materials
available in ANSYS. · Main Menu -> Preprocessing -> MaterialProps -> Material Library -> Import Library
9. The Meshing Process: Having defined the material properties, element type and the real constants,
we can go ahead and mesh the model. One nice feature available in ANSYS is that we can generate the
mesh automatically without breaking our heads to calculate the optimum mesh size. Depending on the
degree of refinement required, we can choose either a course or a fine mesh size. Depending on the
generated mesh, we can even refine it further. · Main menu -> Preprocessor -> (-Meshing-) Size Cntrls ->
(-Manual Size-) (-Global-)Size · In the Size field, enter the number 5. This means that the element is to
have a nominal size of 5x5 mm2 . Press OK · Main menu -> Preprocessor -> (-Meshing-) Mesh -> (-Areas-)
Free · Pick the area to be meshed and press OK. You should be getting a mesh close to the one shown
below. · SAVE AS …….. filename.db 10. Loads and Constraints: Now we have started the SOLUTION phase
of the analysis. ANSYS analysis phase where you define analysis type and options, apply loads and load
options, and initiate the finite element solution. A new, static analysis is the default. a) Application of
Displacement Constraints: · As described in the problem description, the 2 smaller holes are to be
welded from the inside. This means that the degrees of freedom (dofs) are zero in the x and y directions
i.e. no displacements in the x and y directions. · Main Menu -> Solution -> (-Loads-) Apply ->(-Structural-)
Displacement -> On Lines · Pick the lines that comprise the weld holes and press OK. · Pick All DOF under
Lab2 -> Enter 0 for Value. · This simulates the effect of a rigidly welded hole in actual practice. b)
Application of a Point Load: As specified in the problem, a vertical load of 1000 N has to be applied on
the larger hole at the bottom quadrant point. · Main Menu -> Solution ->(-Loads-) Apply ->
Force/Moment -> On Keypoints… … · Pick the Keypoint in the lower quadrant and press OK. · In the Load
Window, Choose the direction of force to be Fy. · The Apply as field is to be set at the default value of
‘Constant Value’ · In the Force/Moment Value, Input force value as –1000 as the force is a downward (-
ve y) acting force . 11. SOLUTION: Now we have finished modeling, meshing and defining the loads of
the model. Now we have to solve the model and get the results. The default setting for solution control
holds good for such a model. We have to modify the solution controls for different types of analysis as
the case demands. · Main Menu -> Solution -> (-Solve-) Current LS. · The above command indicates that
we are solving for the current load step. Once you click on the OK button, a dialog box that shows the
different input parameters appears. We need to review the parameters and when we find it to be
satisfactory, we can start the solution by pressing OK after closing the dialog box. · If the model is good,
a dialog box appears to say that the solution is done. · The solutions are stored in the results file “file.rst”
as this is a structural analysis. If it had been a thermal analysis, the results file is “file.rth”. · SAVE_AS
jobname.db 12. POST PROCESSING: The model has been solved and the user now has to invoke the
POSTPROCESSING to view the results in a user-friendly manner. The postprocessor processes the results
of the FEA, which is a huge 2n x 1 matrix of the displacements in the x and y directions, into user friendly
plots. Also the post processor calculates other derived quantities like Stress, Strain, Strain energy etc. for
the user to peruse. · Main Menu -> Postprocessing -> (-Read Results-) Last Set · The above command
reads the final iteration result of the analysis. a) To plot the deformed shape: · Main Menu ->
Postprocessing -> Plot Results -> Deformed Shape · Now we select Def + Undefrmed press OK. · We
should get an output that should resemble something like the figure given below. b) To plot the von
Mises Stress field: · Main Menu -> Postprocessing -> Plot Results ->(-Contour Plot-) -> Nodal Solution · In
the plot results window, click on the Stress field and on the right hand box, scroll down till we find von
Mises SEQV. The dialogue box would look like this. Press OK. The results would look something like the
plot given below. 13. Modifying the loads and reviewing the results: This section is an extension of the
previous model for the student to gain more insight into the analysis powers of ANSYS. The user has to
go back to the solution and delete the point load and apply other types of loads. a) Try out with a
pressure of 10000 N/m2 acting on the lower quadrant of the bigger hole. b) Include into the above
model the effect of self-weight by including the gravitational loads – Gravitational loads are listed in
Main Menu -> Solution ->(-Loads-) Apply ->Gravity c) Compare the results of the above two models. d)
While solving the model with the gravity observe the solution status window before solving. The
solution status window is the one given below. 14. Quitting ANSYS 5.6: · Utility Menu -> File -> Exit -
>………… . On the window, pick on Quit, No Save References: 1. www.ansys.com 2. www.uni-
karlsruhe.de/~ANSYS/ALBERT/bracket/bracket.html 3. ANSYS Structural Analysis Command Guide