Coupled Structural/Thermal Analysis

Coupled Structural/Thermal Analysis
Introduction
This tutorial was completed using ANSYS 7.0 The purpose of this tutorial is to outline a
simple coupled thermal/structural analysis. A steel link, with no internal stresses, is
pinned between two solid structures at a reference temperature of 0 C (273 K). One of the
solid structures is heated to a temperature of 75 C (348 K). As heat is transferred from the
solid structure into the link, the link will attemp to expand. However, since it is pinned
this cannot occur and as such, stress is created in the link. A steady-state solution of the
resulting stress will be found to simplify the analysis.
Loads will not be applied to the link, only a temperature change of 75 degrees Celsius.
The link is steel with a modulus of elasticity of 200 GPa, a thermal conductivity of 60.5
W/m*K and a thermal expansion coefficient of 12e-6 /K.
Preprocessing: Defining the Problem

According to Chapter 2 of the ANSYS Coupled-Field Guide, "A sequentially coupled
physics analysis is the combination of analyses from different engineering disciplines
which interact to solve a global engineering problem. For convenience, ...the solutions
and procedures associated with a particular engineering discipline [will be referred to as]
a physics analysis. When the input of one physics analysis depends on the results from
another analysis, the analyses are coupled."
Thus, each different physics environment must be constructed seperately so they can be
used to determine the coupled physics solution. However, it is important to note that a
single set of nodes will exist for the entire model. By creating the geometry in the first
physical environment, and using it with any following coupled environments, the
geometry is kept constant. For our case, we will create the geometry in the Thermal
Environment, where the thermal effects will be applied.
Although the geometry must remain constant, the element types can change. For instance,
thermal elements are required for a thermal analysis while structural elements are
required to deterime the stress in the link. It is important to note, however that only
certain combinations of elements can be used for a coupled physics analysis. For a listing,
see Chapter 2 of the ANSYS Coupled-Field Guide located in the help file.
The process requires the user to create all the necessary environments, which are
basically the preprocessing portions for each environment, and write them to memory.
Then in the solution phase they can be combined to solve the coupled analysis.
Thermal Environment - Create Geometry and Define Thermal Properties
1. Give example a Title
Utility Menu > File > Change Title ...

/title, Thermal Stress Example
2. Open preprocessor menu
ANSYS Main Menu > Preprocessor

/PREP7
3. Define Keypoints
Preprocessor > Modeling > Create > Keypoints > In Active CS...
K,#,x,y,z
We are going to define 2 keypoints for this link as given in the following
table:
Keypoint Coordinates (x,y,z)

1 (0,0)
2 (1,0)
4. Create Lines
Preprocessor > Modeling > Create > Lines > Lines > In Active Coord
L,1,2
Create a line joining Keypoints 1 and 2, representing a link 1 meter long.

5. Define the Type of Element
Preprocessor > Element Type > Add/Edit/Delete...
For this problem we will use the LINK33 (Thermal Mass Link 3D conduction)
element. This element is a uniaxial element with the ability to conduct heat
between its nodes.
Define Real Constants

Preprocessor > Real Constants... > Add...
In the 'Real Constants for LINK33' window, enter the following geometric
properties:
i. Cross-sectional area AREA: 4e-4
This defines a beam with a cross-sectional area of 2 cm X 2 cm.
Define Element Material Properties

Preprocessor > Material Props > Material Models > Thermal > Conductivity >
Isotropic
In the window that appears, enter the following geometric properties for steel:
i. KXX: 60.5
Define Mesh Size

Preprocessor > Meshing > Size Cntrls > ManualSize > Lines > All Lines...
For this example we will use an element edge length of 0.1 meters.
Mesh the frame

Preprocessor > Meshing > Mesh > Lines > click 'Pick All'
Write Environment
The thermal environment (the geometry and thermal properties) is now fully
described and can be written to memory to be used at a later time.
Preprocessor > Physics > Environment > Write
In the window that appears, enter the TITLE Thermal and click OK.
Clear Environment
Preprocessor > Physics > Environment > Clear > OK
Doing this clears all the information prescribed for the geometry, such as the
element type, material properties, etc. It does not clear the geometry however, so
it can be used in the next stage, which is defining the structural environment.
Structural Environment - Define Physical Properties
Since the geometry of the problem has already been defined in the previous steps,
all that is required is to detail the structural variables.
1. Switch Element Type
Preprocessor > Element Type > Switch Elem Type
Choose Thermal to Struc from the scoll down list.
This will switch to the complimentary structural element automatically. In

this case it is LINK 8. For more information on this element, see the help
file. A warning saying you should modify the new element as necessary
will pop up. In this case, only the material properties need to be modified
as the geometry is staying the same.
Define Element Material Properties

Preprocessor > Material Props > Material Models > Structural > Linear >
Elastic > Isotropic
In the window that appears, enter the following geometric properties for
steel:
i. Young's Modulus EX: 200e9

ii. Poisson's Ratio PRXY: 0.3
Preprocessor > Material Props > Material Models > Structural > Thermal
Expansion Coef > Isotropic
i. ALPX: 12e-6
Write Environment
The structural environment is now fully described.
Preprocessor > Physics > Environment > Write
In the window that appears, enter the TITLE Struct
Solution Phase: Assigning Loads and Solving

1. Define Analysis Type
Solution > Analysis Type > New Analysis > Static

ANTYPE,0
Read in the Thermal Environment
Solution > Physics > Environment > Read
Choose thermal and click OK.
If the Physics option is not available under Solution, click Unabridged Menu at
the bottom of the Solution menu. This should make it visible.
Apply Constraints
Solution > Define Loads > Apply > Thermal > Temperature > On
Keypoints
Set the temperature of Keypoint 1, the left-most point, to 348 Kelvin.
Solve the System

Solution > Solve > Current LS
SOLVE
Close the Solution Menu
Main Menu > Finish
It is very important to click Finish as it closes that environment and

allows a new one to be opened without contamination. If this is not done,
you will get error messages.
The thermal solution has now been obtained. If you plot the steady-state
temperature on the link, you will see it is a uniform 348 K, as expected. This
information is saved in a file labelled Jobname.rth, were .rth is the thermal
results file. Since the jobname wasn't changed at the beginning of the analysis,
this data can be found as file.rth. We will use these results in determing the
structural effects.
Read in the Structural Environment

Solution > Physics > Environment > Read
Choose struct and click OK.
Apply Constraints
Solution > Define Loads > Apply > Structural > Displacement > On
Keypoints
Fix Keypoint 1 for all DOF's and Keypoint 2 in the UX direction.
Include Thermal Effects

Solution > Define Loads > Apply > Structural > Temperature > From
Therm Analy
As shown below, enter the file name File.rth. This couples the results
from the solution of the thermal environment to the information prescribed
in the structural environment and uses it during the analysis.
Define Reference Temperature
Preprocessor > Loads > Define Loads > Settings > Reference Temp
For this example set the reference temperature to 273 degrees Kelvin.
Solve the System

SOLVE
Postprocessing: Viewing the Results

1. Hand Calculations
Hand calculations were performed to verify the solution found

using ANSYS:
As shown, the stress in the link should be a uniform 180 MPa in
compression.
2. Get Stress Data
Since the element is only a line, the stress can't be listed in the
normal way. Instead, an element table must be created first.
General Postproc > Element Table > Define Table > Add
Fill in the window as shown below. [CompStr > By Sequence Num

> LS > LS,1
ETABLE,CompStress,LS,1
3. List the Stress Data
General Postproc > Element Table > List Elem Table > COMPSTR
> OK
PRETAB,CompStr
The following list should appear. Note the stress in each element: -0.180e9
Pa, or 180 MPa in compression as expected.
Simple Conduction Example
Introduction
This tutorial was created using ANSYS 7.0 to solve a simple conduction problem.
The Simple Conduction Example is constrained as shown in the following figure.

Thermal conductivity (k) of the material is 10 W/m*C and the block is assumed to be
infinitely long.

/PREP7
3. Create geometry
Preprocessor > Modeling > Create > Areas > Rectangle > By 2 Corners >
X=0, Y=0, Width=1, Height=1
BLC4,0,0,1,1
Preprocessor > Element Type > Add/Edit/Delete... > click 'Add' > Select Thermal
Mass Solid, Quad 4Node 55
ET,1,PLANE55
For this example, we will use PLANE55 (Thermal Solid, Quad 4node 55). This element
has 4 nodes and a single DOF (temperature) at each node. PLANE55 can only be used for
2 dimensional steady-state or transient thermal analysis.
Element Material Properties
Isotropic > KXX = 10 (Thermal conductivity)
MP,KXX,1,10
Mesh Size
Preprocessor > Meshing > Size Cntrls > ManualSize > Areas > All Areas > 0.05
AESIZE,ALL,0.05
Mesh
Preprocessor > Meshing > Mesh > Areas > Free > Pick All
AMESH,ALL

Solution > Analysis Type > New Analysis > Steady-State

ANTYPE,0
Apply Constraints
For thermal problems, constraints can be in the form of Temperature, Heat Flow,
Convection, Heat Flux, Heat Generation, or Radiation. In this example, all 4 sides
of the block have fixed temperatures.
• Solution > Define Loads > Apply

Note that all of the -Structural- options cannot be selected. This is due to
the type of element (PLANE55) selected.
• Thermal > Temperature > On Nodes
• Click the Box option (shown below) and draw a box around the nodes on
the top line.
The following window will appear:
• Fill the window in as shown to constrain the side to a constant temperature

of 500
• Using the same method, constrain the remaining 3 sides to a constant
value of 100
Orange triangles in the graphics window indicate the temperature

contraints.
Solve the System
SOLVE

1. Results Using ANSYS
Plot Temperature
General Postproc > Plot Results > Contour Plot > Nodal Solu ... > DOF
solution, Temperature TEMP
Note that due to the manner in which the boundary contitions were applied, the
top corners are held at a temperature of 100. Recall that the nodes on the top of
the plate were constrained first, followed by the side and bottom constraints. The
top corner nodes were therefore first constrained at 500C, then 'overwritten' when
the side constraints were applied. Decreasing the mesh size can minimize this
effect, however, one must be aware of the limitations in the results at the corners.
Thermal - Mixed Boundary Example

(Conduction/Convection/Insulated)
Introduction
This tutorial was created using ANSYS 7.0 to solve simple thermal examples. Analysis of
a simple conduction as well a mixed conduction/convection/insulation problem will be
demonstrated.
The Mixed Convection/Conduction/Insulated Boundary Conditions Example is

constrained as shown in the following figure (Note that the section is assumed to be
infinitely long):


/PREP7
3. Create geometry
Preprocessor > Modeling > Create > Areas > Rectangle > By 2 Corners >
BLC4,0,0,1,1

Preprocessor > Element Type > Add/Edit/Delete... > click 'Add' > Select Thermal
Mass Solid, Quad 4Node 55
ET,1,PLANE55
As in the conduction example, we will use PLANE55 (Thermal Solid, Quad 4node 55).
This element has 4 nodes and a single DOF (temperature) at each node. PLANE55 can
only be used for 2 dimensional steady-state or transient thermal analysis.

Isotropic > KXX = 10
MP,KXX,1,10
This will specify a thermal conductivity of 10 W/m*C.
Mesh Size
AESIZE,ALL,0.05
Mesh
AMESH,ALL

Solution > Analysis Type > New Analysis > Steady-State

ANTYPE,0
Apply Conduction Constraints
In this example, all 2 sides of the block have fixed temperatures, while convection
occurs on the other 2 sides.
• Solution > Define Loads > Apply > Thermal > Temperature > On
Lines
• Select the top line of the block and constrain it to a constant value of 500
C
• Using the same method, constrain the left side of the block to a constant
value of 100 C
Apply Convection Boundary Conditions
• Solution > Define Loads > Apply > Thermal > Convection > On Lines
• Select the right side of the block.

• Fill in the window as shown. This will specify a convection of 10 W/m2*C
and an ambient temperature of 100 degrees Celcius. Note that VALJ and
VAL2J have been left blank. This is because we have uniform convection
across the line.
Apply Insulated Boundary Conditions
• Solution > Define Loads > Apply > Thermal > Convection > On Lines
• Select the bottom of the block.
• Enter a constant Film coefficient (VALI) of 0. This will eliminate
convection through the side, thereby modeling an insulated wall. Note:
you do not need to enter a Bulk (or ambient) temperature
You should obtain the following:

Solve the System
SOLVE

Plot Temperature
General Postproc > Plot Results > Contour Plot > Nodal Solu ... > DOF
solution, Temperature TEMP
Transient Thermal Conduction Example
Introduction
This tutorial was created using ANSYS 7.0 to solve a simple transient conduction
problem. Special thanks to Jesse Arnold for the analytical solution shown at the end of
the tutorial.
The example is constrained as shown in the following figure. Thermal conductivity (k) of
the material is 5 W/m*K and the block is assumed to be infinitely long. Also, the density
of the material is 920 kg/m^3 and the specific heat capacity (c) is 2.040 kJ/kg*K.
It is beneficial if the Thermal-Conduction tutorial is completed first to compare with this
solution.
Utility Menu > File > Change Title...
/Title,Transient Thermal Conduction
/PREP7
3. Create geometry
Preprocessor > Modeling > Create > Areas > Rectangle > By 2 Corners
BLC4,0,0,1,1
Preprocessor > Element Type > Add/Edit/Delete... > click 'Add' > Select Thermal Mass
Solid, Quad 4Node 55
ET,1,PLANE55
For this example, we will use PLANE55 (Thermal Solid, Quad 4node 55). This element
has 4 nodes and a single DOF (temperature) at each node. PLANE55 can only be used for
2 dimensional steady-state or transient thermal analysis.
Preprocessor > Material Props > Material Models > Thermal > Conductivity > Isotropic >
KXX = 5 (Thermal conductivity)
MP,KXX,1,10
Preprocessor > Material Props > Material Models > Thermal > Specific Heat > C = 2.04
MP,C,1,2.04
Preprocessor > Material Props > Material Models > Thermal > Density > DENS = 920
MP,DENS,1,920
Mesh Size
AESIZE,ALL,0.05
Mesh
AMESH,ALL
At this point, the model should look like the following:

Solution > Analysis Type > New Analysis > Transient
ANTYPE,4
The window shown below will pop up. We will use the defaults, so click OK.
Set Solution Controls
Solution > Analysis Type > Sol'n Controls
The following window will pop up.
A) Set Time at end of loadstep to 300 and Automatic time stepping to ON.
B) Set Number of substeps to 20, Max no. of substeps to 100, Min no. of substeps to 20.
C) Set the Frequency to Write every substep.
Click on the NonLinear tab at the top and fill it in as shown
D) Set Line search to ON .

E) Set the Maximum number of iterations to 100.
For a complete description of what these options do, refer to the help file. Basically, the
time at the end of the load step is how long the transient analysis will run and the number
of substeps defines how the load is broken up. By writing the data at every step, you can
create animations over time and the other options help the problem converge quickly.
Apply Constraints
For thermal problems, constraints can be in the form of Temperature, Heat Flow,
Convection, Heat Flux, Heat Generation, or Radiation. In this example, 2 sides of the
block have fixed temperatures and the other two are insulated.
• Solution > Define Loads > Apply
Note that all of the -Structural- options cannot be selected. This is due to the type
of element (PLANE55) selected.
• Thermal > Temperature > On Nodes
• Click the Box option (shown below) and draw a box around the nodes on the top
line and then click OK.

• Fill the window in as shown to constrain the top to a constant temperature of 500
K
• Using the same method, constrain the bottom line to a constant value of 100 K
Orange triangles in the graphics window indicate the temperature contraints.
Apply Initial Conditions
Solution > Define Loads > Apply > Initial Condit'n > Define > Pick All
Fill in the IC window as follows to set the initial temperature of the material to 100 K:
Solve the System

SOLVE
Plot Temperature
General Postproc > Plot Results > Contour Plot > Nodal Solu ... > DOF solution,
Temperature TEMP
Animate Results Over Time
• First, specify the contour range.
Utility Menu > PlotCtrls > Style > Contours > Uniform Contours...
Fill in the window as shown, with 8 contours, user specified, from 100 to 500.
• Then animate the data.
Utility Menu > PlotCtrls > Animate > Over Time...
Fill in the following window as shown (20 frames, 0 - 300 Time Range, Auto contour
scaling OFF, DOF solution > TEMP)
You can see how the temperature rises over the area over time. The heat flows from the
higher temperature to the lower temperature constraints as expected. Also, you can see
how it reaches equilibrium when the time reaches approximately 200 seconds. Shown
below are analytical and ANSYS generated temperature vs time curves for the center of
the block. As can be seen, the curves are practically identical, thus the validity of the
ANSYS simulation has been proven.
Analytical Solution
ANSYS Generated Solution
Time History Postprocessing: Viewing the Results
1. Creating the Temperature vs. Time Graph
o Select: Main Menu > TimeHist Postpro. The following window should
open automatically.
If it does not open automatically, select Main Menu > TimeHist Postpro > Variable
Viewer
o Click the add button in the upper left corner of the window to add a
variable.
o Select Nodal Solution > DOF Solution > Temperature (as shown below)
and click OK. Pick the center node on the mesh, node 261, and click OK
in the 'Node for Data' window.
o The Time History Variables window should now look like this:
2. Graph Results over Time

o Ensure TEMP_2 in the Time History Variables window is highlighted.
o Click the graphing button in the Time History Variables window.

o The labels on the plot are not updated by ANSYS, so you must change
them manually. Select Utility Menu > Plot Ctrls > Style > Graphs >
Modify Axes and re-label the X and Y-axis appropriately.
Note how this plot does not exactly match the plot shown above. This is because the
solution has not completely converged. To cause the solution to converge, one of two
things can be done: decrease the mesh size or increase the number of substeps used in the
transient analysis. From experience, reducing the mesh size will do little in this case, as
the mesh is adequate to capture the response. Instead, increasing the number of substeps
from say 20 to 300, will cause the solution to converge. This will greatly increase the
computational time required though, which is why only 20 substeps are used in this
tutorial. Twenty substeps gives an adequate and quick approximation of the solution.
Problem Specification
Determine the force in each member of the following truss. Indicate if the member is in
tension or compression. The cross-sectional area of each member is 0.01 m, the Young's
modulus is 200x109 N/m2 and Poisson ratio is 0.3.
The solution in ANSYS for this and subsequent tutorials is divided into the nine steps
listed above. Note that you'll need to follow these same nine steps for solving almost any
problem in ANSYS or a comparable finite-element analysis package.
Step 1: Start-up & preliminary set-up

Take a few minutes to review the conventions used in the tutorials which are given on the
main page.
Create a folder
Create a folder called ansys at a convenient location. We'll use this folder to store files
created during the session.
Start ANSYS
Start > Programs > Lab Apps > ANSYS 10.0 > ANSYS Product Launcher
In the window that comes up, enter the location of the folder you just created as your
Working directory by browsing to it. If you specify, say, C:\ansys as your working
directory, all files generated during the ANSYS run will be stored in this directory.
Specify truss as your Initial jobname. The jobname is the prefix used for all files
generated during the ANSYS run. For example, when you perform a save operation in
ANSYS, it'll store your work in a file called truss.db in your working directory.
For this tutorial, we'll use the default values for the other fields. Click on Run. This
brings up the ANSYS interface. To make the best use of screen real estate, move the
windows around and resize them so that you approximate this screen arrangement. This
way you can read instructions in the browser window and implement them in ANSYS.
You can resize the text in the browser window to your taste and comfort as follows:
In Internet Explorer: Menubar > View > Text Size, then choose the appropriate font size.
In Netscape: Menubar > View > Increase Font or Menubar > View > Decrease Font.
The ANSYS interface consists of the following:
• Utility Menu:
Note that the jobname truss appears in parenthesis in the title bar of the Utility
Menu.
• ANSYS Main Menu:
We'll more or less work our way down the Main Menu as we go through the
solution steps.
• ANSYS Graphics
This is the window where the geometry, mesh, applied boundary conditions, and
results such as stress values are displayed.
• ANSYS Toolbar:
The Toolbar contains shortcuts to often used commands such as save and can be
customized by the user for convenience.
• ANSYS 10.0 Output Window:
This is the window to which output from ANSYS commands is written and which
provides feedback on the actions taken by ANSYS as you navigate the menus. If,
at some point, you are not sure you clicked the right button or entered a value
correctly, this is where to look first to figure out what you just did.
Set Preferences
We'll more or less work our way down the Main Menu.
Main Menu > Preferences

In the Preferences for GUI Filtering dialog box, click on the box next to Structural so
that a tick mark appears in the box.
The effect of selecting the structural preference is that only menu options applicable to
structural mechanics are shown in the graphical user interface; options related to other
disciplines such as thermal, fluid and electromagnetics are grayed out. This helps a little
while navigating the vast menu options within ANSYS.
Click OK to close the Preferences dialog box.
tep 2: Specify element type and constants

Enter the Preprocessor module
Main Menu > Preprocessor
This is the module where you create the geometry, specify appropriate displacement
constraints and loading, and mesh the geometry. We are more or less going to march
down this menu to set up the problem. You will find yourself negotiating through a series
of menus as you work off the Main Menu.
Specify Element Type
Main Menu > Preprocessor> Element Type > Add/Edit/Delete > Add...
Pick Structural Link in the left field and 2D spar 1 in the right field. Click OK to select
this element.
Now you will see the following in the Element Types dialog box:
LINK1 appears as the only defined element type in the Element Types dialog box. To view
the help pages for this element type, click on Help in the Element Types dialog box. This
brings up the Help window. Click on Search in the left pane and type in LINK1. (If the
left pane is hidden, click the Show button in the toolbar) The first search result is the help
page for the LINK1 element. Note that this is a two-dimensional spar element that
supports uniaxial tension and compression but not bending, so it is appropriate for
modeling a truss structure. There are two degrees of freedom at each of its two nodes:
translations in the nodal x and y directions. The "1" in the element name is the internal
reference number for this element type in ANSYS' list of available element types.
Before proceeding, let's take a quick peek at the pictorial summary of the element types
available in ANSYS. Click on Release 10.0 Documentation for ANSYS > Element
Reference > Element Characteristics > Pictorial Summary in the left part of the Help
window. Our own humble LINK1 element is listed at the top of the pictorial summary.
Clicking on the LINK1 box will take you to the help page for the element that we just
visited. In general, you need to take the time to understand the element types and pick the
appropriate one(s) for your problem. The pictorial summary is a good place to start for
identifying the appropriate element for your problem. Your choice of element type has a
significant effect on the speed and accuracy of the solution.
Minimize the Help window.
Close the Element Types window by clicking Close.
Specify Element Constants
Main Menu > Preprocessor > Real Constants > Add/ Edit/ Delete
This opens up the Real Constants dialog box. Click Add.... This brings up the Element
Type for Real Constants dialog box with a list of the element types defined in the
previous step. We have only one element type, LINK1, defined and it's automatically
selected. Click OK.
We now enter the constants needed for the LINK1 element. For AREA, enter 0.01
which is the cross-sectional area of the element. We'll work in SI units. Leave the Initial
strain field blank since it's not applicable to our problem.
It is the responsibility of the ANSYS user to make sure that the values entered are in
consistent units. Click OK.
We see in the Real Constants menu that the constant set that we just created is "Set 1".
So, when we mesh the geometry later on, we'll use the reference no. 1 to assign this
constant set.
Click Close in the Real Constants dialog box.
Step 3: Specify material properties

Main Menu > Preprocessor > Material Props > Material Models
In the Material Models Available Frame of the Define Material Model Behavior window,
double-click on Structural, Linear, Elastic, and Isotropic.
Enter 200e9 for Young's Modulus EX.

Enter 0.3 for Poisson's Ratio PRXY.
Click OK. This completes the specification of Material Model Number 1. When we mesh
the geometry later on, we'll use the reference no. 1 to assign this material model. Close
the Define Material Model Behavior menu.
Save your work
Utility Menu > File > Save as Jobname. db
This saves all the relevant data into one file called truss. db in your working directory,
truss being taken from the jobname and db being an abbreviation for database. Verify that
ANSYS has created this "database file" in your working directory. You can restart from
your last save at any time using Utility Menu > File > Resume Jobname. db or ANSYS
Toolbar > RESUM_DB. Each time you successfully finish a series of steps, you should
save your work. Unfortunately, ANSYS doesn't have an undo button (though that is the
first thing I needed while learning ANSYS!) and one way to recover from mistakes is to
resume from your last save.
Step 4: Specify geometry

Overview
Since we are using the 2D Spar element, we can represent each truss member by a line. A
line can be created by joining two keypoints (ANSYS terminology for vertices). So we'll
need three keypoints, located at A, B and C in the figure below. We'll locate the origin of
the coordinate system at C and number the keypoints at A, B and C as 1, 2 and 3,
respectively.
Create Keypoints
Main Menu > Preprocessor > Modeling > Create > Keypoints > In Active CS
The active CS (i.e. Coordinate System) is the global Cartesian system by default and
we'll work only in this coordinate system in our friendly introduction. ANSYS offers the
capability to switch between various types of coordinate systems which will be necessary
when you move on to solving super-duper problems.
In the Create Keypoints in Active Coordinate System dialog box,
Enter 1 for Keypoint number

Enter 0 for X and 2.8 for Y
(The Z value defaults to zero)
Click Apply (which accepts the input and then brings back the dialog box for further
input)
Note that you can move to the next field using the Tab key.
Enter 1.5 for X and 2.0 for Y
Click Apply

Enter 0 for X and 0 for Y
Click OK (which accepts the input and then closes the dialog box)
Note the difference between Apply and OK which holds throughout ANSYS.
The keypoints will now be displayed in the Graphics window along with a triad that
indicates the origin of the coordinate system (coincident with keypoint 3 in our case) and
the axes.
Check Keypoints
To check if the keypoints have been created correctly:
Utility Menu > List > Keypoints > Coordinates only
This brings up a window listing the coordinates and rotation angles for the keypoints.
Verify that you have the following:
You can rotate the coordinate system associated with each keypoint and that is what the
rotation angles THXY, THYZ and THZX refer to. In our case, we don't need to rotate the
keypoint coordinate system and so the rotation angles are identically zero.
Close the window listing the keypoints.
Close the Keypoints and Create menus.
Modifying Keypoints (If Necessary)
If you are like me, you made a mistake while creating keypoints and cursed that there is
no undo button. To correct your mistake(s), you can delete keypoints and re-create them.
In case you need to delete a keypoint, do the following:
Main Menu > Preprocessor > Modeling >Delete > Keypoints
This brings up the so-called pick menu.
Click on the keypoint you want to delete. A square appears around that keypoint
indicating that it is selected. (Repeat for other keypoints as necessary.)
Click OK in the pick menu.
You should see the keypoint disappear in the Graphics window. You can also check that
the keypoint has been deleted using Utility Menu > List > Keypoints. You can then re-
create the keypoint.
Save your work
Once you have successfully created the keypoints, save your work using
Toolbar > SAVE_DB
This is a short-cut for
Utility Menu > File > Save as Jobname. db
Create Lines from Keypoints
Main Menu > Preprocessor > Modeling > Create > Lines > Lines >In Active Coord
This will bring up the Lines in Active Coord pick menu.
To create the line between keypoints 1 and 3, click on keypoint 1 and then keypoint 3.
Similarly, create lines between keypoints 1 & 2 and keypoints 2 & 3.
Close the Lines in Active Coord pick menu by clicking on Cancel.
Close the Lines and Create menus.
Check Lines
Take a look at the list of lines that have been created:

Utility Menu > List > Lines
Click OK to accept the default output format.
The first four columns in the list should be:
The order of the keypoints for a line doesn't matter i.e. line l1 could go from keypoint k1
to k2 or equivalently, k2 to k1.
Close the window listing lines.
Modifying Lines (If Necessary)
If a line doesn't look right, you can delete and re-create it. To delete a line:
Main Menu > Preprocessor > Modeling > Delete > Lines Only
This brings up the pick menu.
Click on the line you want to delete in the Graphics window. Click OK. This deletes the
line.
Save your work
Once you have successfully created the lines, click on Toolbar > SAVE_DB to save the
database.
Step 5: Mesh geometry

Each truss member can be represented as a 2D Spar element. We'll use the MeshTool to
mesh the geometry with this element.
To bring up the MeshTool, select
Main Menu > Preprocessor > Meshing > MeshTool

The MeshTool is used to control and generate the mesh.
Set Meshing Parameters
We'll now specify the element type, real constant set and material property set to be used
in the meshing. Since we have only one of each, we can assign them to the entire
geometry using the Global option under Element Attributes.
Make sure Global is selected under Element Attributes and click on Set.
This brings up the Meshing Attributes menu. You will see that the correct element type,
material number and real constant set are already selected since we have only one of
each.
Click OK. ANSYS now knows what element type (and associated constants) and material
type to use for the mesh.
Set Mesh Size
Since a LINK1 element is equivalent to a truss member, we will specify that we want only
one element per line. This is a subtle point and also very unusual; in most problems, you
want to subdivide your part into many elements.
In the MeshTool, under Size Controls and Lines , click Set.
In the pick menu that comes up, click Pick All (since we want the specification of mesh
size to apply to all lines in the geometry). This brings up the Element Sizes on Picked
Lines menu. Specify No. of element divisions to be 1. Click OK. ANSYS will now use 1
element to mesh each line.
Mesh Lines
In the MeshTool, make sure Lines is selected in the drop-down list next to Mesh. This
means the geometry components to be meshed are lines (as opposed to areas or volumes,
as we'll see later). Click on the Mesh button.
This brings up the pick menu. Since we want to mesh all lines, click on Pick All. The
lines have been meshed. This is reported in the Output Window (usually hiding behind the
Graphics Window):
NUMBER OF LINES MESHED = 3

MAXIMUM NODE NUMBER = 3
MAXIMUM ELEMENT NUMBER = 3
Close the MeshTool.
View Element List
Utility Menu > List > Elements > Nodes + Attributes
This table says that Element 1 is of material type 1 and element type 1 and is attached to
nodes 1 and 2 and so on. In this element list, the order of the two nodes for each element
doesn't matter. For example, element 3 can be attached to nodes 2 and 3 or equivalently,
nodes 3 and 2. Also, the order of element numbering is not important since it is for
internal bookkeeping.
Close the window listing the elements.
View Node Location
In order to see where the nodes are located, you can look at the list of nodes.
Utility Menu > List > Nodes
In Sort NODE Listing menu, click OK to accept defaults.

My list of nodes looks like this:
From the node and element lists, one can conclude that in this case:
Node 1 is pin A
Node 2 is pin C
Node 3 is pin B
Element 1 is member AC
Element 2 is member AB
Element 3 is member BC
Your own node and element numbering might be different from this and you would have
to account for this while interpreting results in the postprocessing step.
Close the window listing the nodes.
Save your work
Toolbar > SAVE_DB
Step 6: Specify boundary conditions

Next, we step up to the plate to define the boundary conditions, namely, the displacement
constraints and loads. Note that in ANSYS terminology, the displacement constraints are
also "loads". We can apply the loads either to the geometry model or to the finite-element
model (that is to the elements and nodes directly). The advantage of the former is that one
doesn't have to re-specify the constraints on changing the mesh. So we'll apply the
constraints to the geometry i.e. to the keypoints.
You can see from the diagram that the pin at A is constrained in x and y directions; or
equivalently, keypoint 1 is constrained such that its UX and UY displacements are zero.
Similarly, keypoint 3 is constrained such that its UX displacement is zero.
Apply Displacement Constraints
Main Menu > Preprocessor > Loads > Define Loads > Apply > Structural > Displacement
> On Keypoints
This brings up the Apply U, ROT on KPs pick menu.

In the Graphics window, click on keypoint 1;
This will draw a small square around keypoint 1 to indicate that it's been picked.
In the pick menu, click Apply. The following menu shows up.
Since we want to constrain UX as well as UY to zero at keypoint 1, select both UX and

UY from items in DOFs to be constrained list. Since the Displacement value is zero by
default, leave that field empty. Click on Apply.
You will see triangle symbols appear in the Graphics window indicating that both UX and
UY DOFs are constrained at keypoint 1.
Next we apply the displacement constraint at keypoint 3. In the Graphics window, click
on keypoint 3. In the pick menu, click Apply. Select only UX from items in DOFs to be
constrained list. Click OK.
You will see a triangle symbol appear indicating that only the UX DOF is constrained at
keypoint 3.
Close the Displacement and Apply menus.
List Displacement Constraints
You can verify the displacement constraints on the model by listing them.
Utility Menu > List > Loads > DOF constraints > On All Keypoints
This brings up a window with the constraint information.
If you made a mistake in applying a constraint, you can delete and reapply it. You can
delete a constraint using Main Menu > Preprocessor > Loads > Define Loads >Delete >
Structural > Displacement > On Keypoints. Alternately, you can resume from your last
save and continue from there.
Close the window listing the constraint information.
Save the database: Toolbar > SAVE_DB
Apply Loading
We have only one load to apply on the structure, namely, the 2800 N force in the negative
y-direction at keypoint 2 (see figure 1).
Main Menu > Preprocessor > Loads > Define Loads > Apply > Structural
>Force/Moment > On Keypoints
This brings up the Apply F/M on KPs pick menu.
In the Graphics window, click on keypoint 2; then in the pick menu, click OK.
In the menu that appears, select FY for Direction of force/ mom.
Enter -2800 for Force/ moment value. Click OK.
The negative sign for the force indicates that it is in the negative y-direction. You'll see a
vector indicating the applied force in the Graphics window.
Close the Force/ Moment, Apply, Loads and Preprocessor menus.
Save the database: Toolbar > SAVE_DB
Step 7: Solve!
Enter Solution Module
Main Menu > Solution > Solve > Current LS
This solves the current load step (LS) i. e. the current loading conditions. In our problem,
there is only one load step; ANSYS allows for multiple load steps that can be solved
sequentially without leaving the Solution module.
Review the Problem
Review the information in the /STAT Command window. This is a summary of the
problem that ANSYS is about to solve.
Close this window.
Perform Solution
Click OK in Solve Current Load Step menu.
ANSYS performs the solution and a yellow window should pop up saying "Solution is
done!". Congratulations! You just obtained your first ANSYS solution.
Close the yellow window.
In preparation for the postprocessing step to be undertaken next, exit the solution module
by closing the Solution menu.
Verify that ANSYS has created a file called truss.rst in your working directory. This file
contains the results of the (previous) solve. The rst extension in the filename stands for
results from a structural analysis. The truss.db file contains only steps 1-6. To resume
your work subsequent to exiting ANSYS, you'll have to first resume from the jobname.db
file and then read in the results from the jobname.rst file using
Main Menu > General Postproc > Read Results > First Set
This is one of the many ANSYS quirks you'll encounter as you work with the program.
Step 8: Postprocess the results

Postprocessing is the step where we look at and analyze the results obtained from the
ANSYS solution.
Enter the General Postprocessing module:
Main Menu > General Postproc
Plot Deformed Shape
Main Menu > General Postproc > Plot Results > Deformed Shape
Select Def + undeformed and click OK.
This plots the deformed and undeformed shapes in the Graphics window.
The deformed shape is shown as a solid line and the undeformed shape as a dotted line.
The maximum displacement DMX is 0.583E-05m as reported in the Graphics window.
This is small but plausible. Note that the deformation is magnified in the plot so as to be
easily visible.
To save the deformation plot in a file, use Utility Menu > PlotCtrls > Hard Copy > To
File. Select the file format you want and type in a filename of your choice under Save to:
and click OK. The file will be created in your working directory. You can print out this
file as necessary.
Animate the deformation:
Utility Menu > PlotCtrls > Animate > Deformed Shape
Select Def + undeformed and click OK. Select Forward Only in the Animation
Controller.
Node 1 (Pin A) doesn't move and node 2 (Pin C) moves only in the vertical direction.
Node 3 (Pin B) moves more or less in the direction of the applied force. The deformation
of the structure agrees with the applied boundary conditions and matches with what one
would expect from intuition.
Turn On Node and Element Numbers
In order to interpret the results that ANSYS reports, it's useful to turn on the node and
element numbers in the Graphics window.
Utility Menu > PlotCtrls > Numbering
The Plot Numbering Controls menu is used to control the numbering of the various
entities in a finite-element model.
Turn on Node numbers. Under Elem/Attrib numbering, select Element numbers. Click
OK.
The node and element numbers will now appear in the Graphics window.
List Forces in Truss Members: Method 1
Main Menu > General Postproc > List Results > Element Solution
From the list, under Element Solution, select All Available force items . Click OK.
This brings up a window listing the forces that the elements apply on each of their nodes:
These element forces reported by ANSYS are forces ON its environment BY the element,
not the converse. For example, Element 2 (or member AB) applies a force of 1500 N in
the x-direction and 800 N in the negative y-direction on node 1 (or pin A). This means
that the total force in AB is . The resultant acts from A to B
i.e. the member is pulling on pin A. So it must be in tension. Similarly, the force in
Element 1 (AC) is 2000 N (tension) and in Element 3 (BC) is 2500 N (compression).
Note that your node and element numbers might be different from the above since they
depend on the order in which the lines were created.
Close the PRESOL Command window.
List Forces in Truss Members: Method 2
Bring up the help page for LINK1 element:
Utility Menu > Help > Help Topics
Under the Contents tab, select
Release 10.0 Documentation for ANSYS > Element Reference > Element Library >
LINK1
In the LINK1 help page, scroll down to LINK1 Element Output Definitions. You'll see the
item
MFORX: Member force in the element coordinate system X direction
The figure at the top of the LINK1 help page shows that the x-direction in the element
coordinate system is along the line. So MFORX is basically the axial force in the element.
So how do we get the MFORX values for our three elements from ANSYS? ANSYS has a
quirky way of doing this as we shall see. If you scroll down the help page further, you'll
see the LINK1 Item and Sequence Numbers:
MFORX SMISC 1
The output data is broken down into item groups with SMISC being one of the groups.
Each item within an item group has an identifying "sequence" number. So MFORX is the
item with sequence number 1 in the SMISC group.
Minimize the help window. To list MFORX values:
Main Menu > General Postproc > List Results > Element Solution
Under Element Solution, select Miscellaneous Items > Summable data (SMISC,1). Since
MFORX is sequence number 1 in the SMISC group, enter 1 next to Sequent number
SMIS in the editable field. Click OK. Click OK in the List Element Solution window.
This brings up a window with the axial forces in the elements. Positive values indicate
tension and negative values compression. Do these values match what we got in method
1?
You can also plot the items listed under Element Output Definitions using the sequence
number.
In most cases, you plot stresses using Main menu > General Postproc > Plot Results >
Contour Plot >Nodal Solu. But for line elements like LINK1, this doesn't work and you'll
get zero values for the stresses. So you'll have to use the sequence numbers to make stress
plots for line elements.
List Reaction Forces at Nodes
Main Menu > General Postproc > List Results > Reaction Solu
Select All struc forc F for Item to be listed and click OK.
This brings up a window with the reaction forces at the nodes.

The sum of the reaction forces balances the applied load as should be the case for static
equilibrium.
Close the PRRSOL Command window.
Step 9: Validate the results

Do not assume that if you are able to obtain a solution from ANSYS, it is bound to be
correct. It is very important that you take the time to check the validity of your solution.
This section leads you through some of the steps you can take to validate your solution.
Simple Checks
• Does the deformed shape look reasonable and agree with the applied boundary
conditions? We checked this in step 8.
• Do the reactions at the supports balance the applied forces for static equilibrium?
We checked this also in step 8.
Refine Mesh
The results obtained from FEA analysis depend on the mesh. An important step in the
analysis is to make sure that the mesh resolution is adequate for the desired level of
accuracy. This is done by refining the mesh and comparing results obtained with different
levels of mesh resolution.
In our truss example, however, a truss member has to be modeled as a single LINK1
element. If we use multiple LINK1 elements to model a single truss member, these
elements can rotate freely with respect to each other since they are essentially linked
through pin joints. This violates physical reality and is one of the few cases where we'll
avoid refining the mesh since it leads to an incorrect result.
Compare with Theory
Results should be compared with appropriate theoretical results whenever possible. In

most cases, one would use theory to obtain order-of-magnitude estimates rather than to
make a head-to-head comparison since presumably FEA is being used because a
theoretical solution is not available. In this case, however, one can easily determine the
forces in the truss members using the method of joints from statics. I'd recommend that
you take a few minutes during commercials on your favorite TV show to calculate the
forces and compare them with your ANSYS results.
Exit ANSYS
Utility Menu > File > Exit
Select Save Everything and click OK.
This is just a quick introduction to ANSYS to give you a flavor of what a full-fledged
engineering package looks like. If it felt unfriendly or cumbersome, you are not alone; I
went through this myself (otherwise, congratulations! you are a genius). It takes some
getting used to. Believe it or not, it gets a lot easier to use with time. You have a lot of
years ahead of you to gain the experience necessary to harness the power of finite-
element analysis. All the ANSYS features including the underlying theory are
documented online and can be accessed using Utility Menu > Help. There are tutorials
available in the documentation which are also useful.
Problem Set 1
Resume the ANSYS Tutorial and make modifications to it as discussed below. To resume
the ANSYS tutorial:
Start ANSYS; Specify the same directory but use a different jobname. Once ANSYS
comes up, in the Utility Menu, click on:
Utility Menu > File > Resume from
Choose truss.db and click OK.
Consider the case where the displacement constrains at A and C are interchanged i.e.
• at A, only UX is set to zero

• at C, both UX and UY are set to zero
1. How would you expect the reaction forces at the supports A and C to change?
2. What can you say about how the x-component of the forces in the truss will change?
Re-solve the truss problem with the modified constraints. You can delete constraints
using:
Main Menu > Preprocessor > Loads > Define Loads > Delete
It works similar to how you apply loads.
Tip: You can plot the displacement constraints in the Graphics window as follows:
Utility Menu > Pltctrls > Symbols
Select All Applied BCs for Boundary condition symbol. Click OK.
You might have to use :
Utility Menu > Plot > Replot
or
Utility Menu > Plot > Multi-plots
for the constraint symbols to appear in your plot.
Determine the following results from your ANSYS solution:
1. List the reactions. Note that you can save the reaction listing as follows: in the window
that comes up with the listing of the reaction forces, click on:
File > Save As
2. List the element forces. From this determine the force in each member and whether the
member is in tension or compression.
Problem Set 2
Determine the force in each member of the following truss using ANSYS. Indicate if the
member is in tension or compression. Use the same LINK1 element as in the tutorial. The
cross-sectional area of each member is 0.02 m2, Young's modulus is 200x109 N/m2 and
Poisson's ratio is 0.3. Verify your results by calculating the forces manually.
Results
Determine the following:
1. Listing of the reactions from the ANSYS solution.
2. Listing of the element forces from the ANSYS solution. Calculate and determine the
forces in each member and whether the member is in tension or compression from this
ANSYS result.
3. Using your pencil-and-paper calculations verifying the ANSYS results for the member
and reaction forces.
Consider the square plate of uniform thickness with a circular hole with dimensions
shown in the figure below. The thickness of the plate is 1 mm. The Young's modulus E
=107 MPa and the Poisson ratio is 0.3. A uniform pressure p=1 MPa acts on the boundary
of the hole. Assume that plane stress conditions prevail. The stress and displacement
fields are to be determined using ANSYS. This problem is taken from section 6.14, p.
240-244 of Cook et al.
Step 1: Start-up and preliminary set-up
Create a folder
Create a folder called plate at a convenient location. We'll use this folder to store files
created during the ANSYS session.
Start ANSYS
Working directory by browsing to it. All files generated during the ANSYS run will be
stored in this directory.
Specify plate as your Initial jobname. The jobname is the prefix used for all files
generated during the ANSYS session. For example, when you perform a save operation
in ANSYS, it'll store your work in a file called plate.db in your working directory.
For this tutorial, we'll use the default values for the other fields. Click on Run. For this
tutorial, we'll use the default values for the other fields. Click on Run. This brings up the
ANSYS interface. To make best use of screen real estate, move the windows around and
resize them so that you approximate this screen arrangement. This way you can read
instructions in the browser window and implement them in ANSYS.
You can resize the text in the browser window to your taste and comfort.
Set Preferences
As before, we'll more or less work our way down the Main Menu.
that a tick mark appears in the box. Click OK.
Recall that this is an optional step that customizes the graphical user interface so that only
menu options valid for structural problems are made available during the ANSYS
session.
Enter Parameters
For convenience, we'll create scalar parameters corresponding to the plate half-width a,
hole radius r, pressure p, and material properties E and v.
Utility Menu > Parameters > Scalar Parameters
Enter the parameter value for a:

a=10e-3
Click Accept.
Similarly, enter the other parameter values and click Accept after each.
r=7e-3
p=1e6
E=1e13
nu=0.3
Close the Scalar Parameters window.
We can now enter these variable names instead of the corresponding values as we set up
the problem in ANSYS. This is also helpful in carrying out parametric studies where one
looks at the effect of changing a parameter.
Step 2: Specify element type and constants

Pick Structural Solid in the left field and Quad 4 node 42 in the right field. Click OK to
select this element.
You'll now see the Element Types menu with PLANE42 as the only defined element type.
Let's take a look at the online help pages to learn about the properties of this element.
Select the Search tab, type in pictorial summary as the keyword and click List Topics.
You should see Pictorial Summary as one of the topics listed; double-click on this. This
brings up the Pictorial Summary of Element Types help page. Scroll down to Plane42
under Structural 2-D Solid. Note that the PLANE42 element is defined by four nodes
with two degrees of freedom at each node: translations UX and UY in the (nodal) x and y-
directions.
Click on the PLANE42 box to bring up the help page for this element. Read the Element
Description and take a look at the figure of the element. Think about why this element is
appropriate for the problem at hand. Minimize the help window.
If you actually read the Element Description for PLANE42, you'd have noticed that this
element can also be used for axisymmetric problems also. In the axisymmetric case, you
would choose Options for the element in the Element Types menu. Note that in the
PLANE42 element type options menu that comes up, under Element behavior, you have
the option of Axisymmetric. For the current problem, we'll of course use the default of
Plane stress. Click Cancel to exit the PLANE42 element type options menu retaining the
defaults.
Close the Element Types menu.

Main Menu > Preprocessor> Real Constants > Add/Edit/Delete > Add
This brings up the Element Type for Real Constants menu with a list of the element types
defined in the previous step. We have only one element type and it is automatically
selected.
Click OK.
You should get a note saying "Please check and change keyopt setting for element
PLANE42 before proceeding." Close the yellow warning window and the Real Constants
menu. To see what this message implies, let's again take a look at the help pages for
PLANE42.
Under PLANE42 Input Summary, the documentation says that there are no real constants
for this element when KEYOPT(3)=0, 1, 2.
To see what the value of KEYOPT(3) is, bring up the Element Type menu again:
Main Menu > Preprocessor> Element Type > Add/Edit/Delete > Options
K3 i.e. KEYOPT(3) is set to Plane stress. In the help page, under PLANE42 Input
Summary, you can check that plane stress corresponds to KEYOPT(3)=0. Thus, there are
no real constants to be specified. That's why we got the "Please check and change keyopt
settings..." warning message. Of course, the ANSYS warning could have been less
cryptic but what fun would that be.
Cancel the PLANE42 element type options menu, Close the Element Types menu and
close the Element Type sticky menu.
Save your work
Toolbar > SAVE_DB

Main Menu > Preprocessor >Material Props > Material Models ....
In the Define Material Model Behavior menu, double-click on Structural, Linear, Elastic,
and Isotropic.
We'll use the previously defined parameter names while specifying the material
properties. Enter E for Young's modulus EX, nu for Poisson's Ratio PRXY. Click OK.
To double-check the material property values, double-click on Linear Isotropic under

Material Model Number 1 in the Define Material Model Behavior menu. This will show
you the current values for EX and PRXY. Cancel the Linear Isotropic Properties window.
When you enter parameter names, ANSYS substitutes the corresponding parameter
values as soon as you click OK or Apply.
This completes the specification of Material Model Number 1. When we mesh the
geometry later on, we'll use the reference no. 1 to assign this material model. Close the
Define Material Model Behavior menu.
Save your work
Toolbar > SAVE_DB

Since the geometry, material properties and loading are all symmetric with respect to the
horizontal and vertical centerlines, we need to model only a quarter of the plate. We will
take the origin of the coordinate system to be at the center of the hole and model only the
top right quadrant. We'll create the geometry by creating a square area of side a and
subtracting the circular sector of radius r from it.
Create the Square

Main Menu > Preprocessor > Modeling >Create > Areas >Rectangle > By Dimensions
X1 and X2 are the x-coordinates of the left and right edges of the square, respectively.
Enter 0 for X1, a for X2.
Y1 and Y2 are the y-coordinates of the bottom and top edges of the square, respectively.
Enter 0 for Y1, a for Y2.
Click OK. You should see a square appear in the graphics window.
Create the Circular Sector

Main Menu > Preprocessor > Modeling > Create > Areas > Circle > Partial Annulus
WP X and WP Y are the x- and y-coordinates of the center of the circular arc. So enter 0
for both WP X and WP Y. (WP refers to the Working Plane which by default coincides
with the global Cartesian coordinate system. We won't have to worry about the working
plane in this friendly example.)
Rad-1 is the radius of the inner circular arc. We want to create a solid rather than an
annular arc. Enter 0 for Rad-1 to create a solid arc.
Rad-2 is the (outer) radius of the arc. Since we had defined the hole radius as parameter r
earlier, enter r for Rad-2.
Theta-1 and Theta-2 are the starting and ending angles of the arc, respectively. These
angles need to be specified in degrees. Enter 0 for Theta-1 and 90 for Theta-2. Click OK.
This will create and draw the circular sector. You'll see a white line denoting the circular
sector.
Subtract Circular Sector from Square

Main Menu > Preprocessor >Modeling > Operate > Booleans > Subtract > Areas
In the Input window, ANSYS tells you to "pick or enter base areas from which to
subtract". So we pick the square area as follows: Hold down the left mouse button, move
the cursor over the areas until the square is selected (it will change color) and release the
left mouse button. Click OK.
In the Input window, ANSYS now tells you to "pick or enter areas to be subtracted". So
select the circular sector by holding down and releasing the left mouse button. Click OK.
If you did this correctly, you will see that the circular sector has been subtracted out from
the square area.
You can also select areas during the Boolean subtract operation by simply clicking on
them but it becomes difficult to select areas (and other components) in this fashion in
more complicated geometries. That's why I made you use the "holding-down-the-mouse-
and-releasing" technique.
If you picked an area incorrectly, you can unpick it by clicking the right mouse button
and selecting the area. The cursor changes to a downward arrow during an unpick
operation. Right-click to return to pick mode.
Save Your Work

Toolbar > SAVE_DB

Bring up the MeshTool:
Main Menu > Preprocessor > MeshTool
in the meshing. Since we have only one of each, we can assign them to the entire
geometry using the Global option under Element Attributes.
Make sure Global is selected under Element Attributes and click on Set.
This brings up the Meshing Attributes menu. You will see that the correct element type
and material number are already selected since we have only one of each. Recall that no
real constants need to be defined for PLANE42 element type with the plane stress
keyoption.
Click OK. ANSYS now knows what element type and material type to use for the mesh.
Set Mesh Size
Instead of setting the mesh size at each boundary, we'll use the SmartSize option which
enables automatic element sizing. Click on the SmartSize checkbox so that a tickmark
appears in it.
The only input necessary for the SmartSize option is the overall element size level for
meshing. The element size level determines the fineness of the mesh. Its value is
controlled by the slider shown in the above picture. Change the setting for the overall
element size level to 5 by moving the slider under SmartSize to the left.
Mesh Areas
In the MeshTool, make sure Areas is selected in the drop-down list next to Mesh. This
means the geometry components to be meshed are areas (as opposed to lines or volumes).
We'll use quadrilateral elements. So make sure the default option of Quad is selected
under Shape. We'll also use the default of Free meshing.
Click on the Mesh button. This brings up the pick menu.

In the Input window, ANSYS tells you to "pick or enter areas to be meshed". Since we
have only one area to be meshed, click on Pick All. The geometry has been meshed and
the elements are plotted in the Graphics window. Close the MeshTool.
The mesh statistics are reported in the Output window (usually hiding behind the
Graphics window):
** AREA 3 MESHED WITH 79 QUADRILATERALS, 0 TRIANGLES **

** Meshing of area 3 completed ** 79 elements.
NUMBER OF AREAS MESHED = 1
MAXIMUM NODE NUMBER = 104
MAXIMUM ELEMENT NUMBER = 79
Save Your Work

Toolbar > SAVE_DB

Next, we step up to the plate to define the displacement constraints and loads. Recall that
in ANSYS terminology, the displacement constraints are also "loads". As in the truss
tutorial, we'll apply the loads to the geometry rather than the mesh. That way we won't
have to reapply the loads on changing the mesh.
Apply Symmetry Boundary Conditions
ANSYS provides the option of applying a "symmetry boundary condition" along lines of
symmetry.
> Symmetry B.C. > On Lines
Select the straight lines corresponding to the left and bottom edges (which are the lines of
symmetry for this problem) by clicking on them. Click OK in the pick menu. The symbol
s appears along these lines indicating that the symmetry B.C. is applied along these lines.
Apply Pressure
Main Menu > Preprocessor > Loads > Define Loads > Apply > Structural > Pressure >
On Lines
Select the circular arc and click OK. This brings up the Apply Pressure on Lines menu.
Enter p for Value and click OK. A single red arrow denotes the pressure and the direction
in which it is acting.
Check Loads
Let's check that the displacement constraints have been applied correctly.
Utility Menu > List > Loads > DOF constraints > On All Lines
Symmetry BCs are applied on lines 8 and 9. Turn on line numbering:
Turn on Line numbers and click OK. Are lines L8 and L9 the ones on which you want the
symmetry BCs?
Similarly, check that the pressure is applied correctly using Utility Menu > List > Loads
> Surface Loads > On All Lines. Note that VALI and VALJ would be different if the
applied pressure were linearly varying along the line.
Turn off line numbering: Utility Menu > PlotCtrls > Numbering. Turn off Line numbers
and click OK.
Save Your Work
Toolbar > SAVE_DB
Step 7: Solve!
Enter solution module:
Main Menu > Solution
Enter check in the Input window and press Enter.
If the problem has been set up correctly, there will be no errors or warnings reported. If
you look in the Output window, you should see the message: The analysis data
was checked and no warnings or errors were found.
Recall from the truss tutorial that this solves the current load step (LS) i. e. the current
loading conditions. In this problem also, there is only one load step.
Review the information in the /STATUS Command window. Close this window.
done!". Congratulations! Close the yellow window.
Verify that ANSYS has created a file called plate.rst in your working directory. This file
contains the results of the (previous) solve.
Step 8: Postprocess the Results
Enter the postprocessing module to analyze the solution.
Plot Deformed Shape

This plots the deformed and undeformed shapes in the Graphics window. The maximum
deformation DMX is 0.232E-08m as reported in the Graphics window. Note that the
deformation is magnified in the plot so as to be visible.
The deformation would be better visible if the foreground and background were not of
the same color. Turn off the background:
Utility Menu > PlotCtrls > Style > Background > Display Picture Background
To get the background back, you just have to select this again.
Utility Menu > PlotCtrls > Animate > Deformed Shape...

Controller.
The left and bottom edges move parallel to themselves which means that the full
deformed plate is also symmetric about these edges. This shows that the symmetry
boundary condition at these edges is imposed correctly. The circular edge of the hole
moves outward which is what one would expect from the outward pressure acting along
it. Thus, the deformation of the structure agrees with the applied boundary conditions and
matches with what one would expect from intuition.
Close the Animation Controller.
Plot Nodal Solution of von Mises Stress
To display the von Mises stress distribution as continuous contours, select
Main Menu > General Postproc > Plot results > Contour Plot > Nodal Solu
Select Nodal Solution > Stress > von Mises stress and click OK.
(Click picture for larger image)
The contour plot will show you the locations of the maximum and minimum values with
the labels MX and MN, respectively. Are these locations where you expect them? SMX
and SMN values reported in the Graphics window are the corresponding maximum and
minimum stress values.
The diagonal is an additional line of symmetry. How symmetric is your result about the
diagonal?
Save this plot to a file:

Utility Menu > PlotCtrls > Hard Copy > To File
Select the file format you want and type in a filename of your choice under Save to: and
click OK. Check that the file has been created in your working directory.
When you plot the "Nodal Solution", ANSYS obtains a continuous distribution as
follows:
1. It determines the average at each node of the values of all elements connected to the
node.
2. Within each element, it linearly interpolates the average nodal value obtained in the
previous step.
Plot Element Solution of von Mises Stress
To obtain results without nodal averaging, select
Main Menu > General Postproc > Plot results > Contour Plot > Element Solu
Select Element Solution > Stress > von Mises stress and click OK. This displays the von
Mises stress results as discontinuous element contours.
Save this plot to a file: Utility Menu > PlotCtrls > Hard Copy > To File
Element solution contours are determined by linear interpolation within each element but
no nodal averaging is performed. The discontinuity between contours of adjacent
elements is an indication of the gradient across elements. The inter-element
discontinuities in our solution are relatively small compared to the stress levels. This
indicates that the mesh resolution is reasonably good.
Query Results
To determine the value of the first principal stress sigma1 at a selected location, select
Main Menu > General Postproc > Query Results > Subgrid Solu
This brings up the Query Subgrid Solution Data menu. Select Stress from the left list, 1st
principal S1 from the right list and click OK.
This brings up the pick menu. You can click on any location in the geometry and ANSYS
will print the sigma1 value at that location. Try querying the values at a few locations.
Note that the coordinates of the picked location and the corresponding solution value are
reported in the pick menu.
Cancel the pick menu.

It is very important that you take the time to check the validity of your solution. This
section leads you through some of the steps you can take to validate your solution.
Simple Checks
Does the deformed shape look reasonable and agree with the applied boundary
Do the reactions at the supports balance the applied forces for static equilibrium? To
check this, select
The total reaction force in the x-direction is -7000 N.
Applied force = (pressure) x (projected distance in x-direction of the line along which the
constant pressure acts) = (p) (r) = 7000 N in positive x-direction.
So the reaction cancels out the applied force in the x-direction. Similarly, you can check
that this is true in the y-direction also.
Refine Mesh
Let's repeat the calculations on a mesh with overall element size level under SmartSize set
to 4 instead of 5 and compare the results on the two meshes. Delete the current mesh:
Main Menu > Preprocessor > Mesh Tool
Select Clear under Mesh: and Pick All in the pick menu. The mesh is deleted.
Set the overall element size level under SmartSize to 4 by dragging the slider to the left.
Click on Mesh and Pick All.
In the Output window, check how many elements are contained in this mesh? Your new
mesh should have 276 quadrilateral elements.
Obtain a new solution: Main Menu > Solution > Solve > Current LS
Plot nodal solution of the von Mises stress:
Select Nodal Solution > Stress > von Mises stress and click OK.
Compare this with the von Mises contours for the previous mesh:
The two results compare well with the finer mesh contours being smoother as expected.
Compare the maximum stress and displacement values:
. Coarser Mesh Finer Mesh

DMX 0.232e-8m 0.234e-8m
SMX 3.64MPa 3.74MPa
The maximum displacement value changes by less than 1% and the maximum von Mises
stress value by less than 3%. This indicates that the meshes used provide adequate
resolution.
Exit ANSYS
Reference
Cook, R.D., Malkus, D.S., Plesha, M.E., and Witt, R.J., Concepts and Applications of
Finite Element Analysis, Fourth Edition, John Wiley and Sons, Inc., 2002.
Problem Set 1
Problem Statement
We used a 4-node quad element (PLANE42) in the tutorial. ANSYS also offers a 8-node
quad element (PLANE82). Re-solve the tutorial problem using the PLANE82 element.
Compare plots of the nodal and element solution of the von Mises stress for the two
cases. You may use either mesh for this problem (although the final results presented here
are done using the coarser mesh).
Hints
Look at the steps and think about which ones you have to change.
When you remesh the object, notice the following changes:
The number of nodes has increased!
To see why, do:
Main Menu > PlotCtrls > Multi-plot Ctrls ...
Click OK. Then on the Multi-Plotting Window that comes up, deselect everything but
Nodes and Elements.
Click OK.
In the Graphics Window, you will now see the nodes in between the lines. There are 8
points for each quadrilateral area instead of the four we had before!
Final Result
Here are the Nodal and Element Solutions you should have gotten:
Nodal Solution
Element Solution

Geometry
(click on image for full view)
Material Properties
E=2.8E7 psi
v=0.3
Loads and Constraints
Go to Step 1: Start-up and preliminary set-up

Create a folder
Create a folder called crank at a convenient location. We'll use this folder to store files
Start ANSYS
Working directory by browsing to it. All files generated during the ANSYS run will be
stored in this directory.
Specify crank as your Initial jobname. The jobname is the prefix used for all files
generated during the ANSYS session. For example, when you perform a save operation
in ANSYS, it'll store your work in a file called plate.db in your working directory.
For this tutorial, we'll use the default values for the other fields. Click on Run. This
brings up the ANSYS interface. To make best use of screen real estate, move the
windows around and resize them so that you approximate this screen arrangement. This
way you can read instructions in the browser window and implement them in ANSYS.
You can resize the text in the browser window to your taste and comfort.
Set Preferences
As before, we'll more or less work our way down the Main Menu.
session.

Pick Structural Mass Solid in the left field and Brick 8node 45 in the right field. This is
the mesh element we will be using to obtain our solution. Click Apply to select this
element.
Pick Not Solved in the left field and Mesh Facet 200 in the right field. We will use this
pseudo-element to help define our overall 3D mesh. Click OK to select this element.
The Element Types window should list two types of elements: MESH200 and SOLID45.
MESH200 comes in 12 different flavors; for our purposes, we will be using the 3-D
quadrilateral with 4 nodes. This is selected by setting KEYOPT(1) = 6 (Refer to Figure
200.1 in the MESH200 reference for other MESH200 input geometry settings). Select
Mesh200 and click on Options. In this window, select QUAD 4-NODE next to Element
shape and # of nodes K1. Click OK.
Let's take a look at the online help pages to learn about the properties of these elements.
Click Help in the Element Types window. Select the Search tab, type in pictorial summary
as the keyword and click List Topics. You should see Pictorial Summary as one of the
topics listed; double-click on this. This brings up the Pictorial Summary of Element Types
help page. Scroll down to SOLID45 under SOLID Elements. This brick element is
defined by 8 nodes with 3 displacement degrees of freedom.
Return to the Pictorial Summary page and scroll down to MESH200 under MESH
Elements. Click on the MESH200 link to view a description of this meshing element. We
will use this element to create a 2-D mesh from which we will create an extrusion to
define the mesh for the entire crank volume (analogous to creating a sketch and extrude
in SolidWorks).
Note that the MESH200 element does not contribute to the solution. We could have
simply meshed the entire volume with SOLID45 elements. However, the advantage to
first meshing an area with MESH200 is that it provides greater control over element sizes
(this will become apparent in the meshing step).
There are no real constants for our configuration.
Save your work
Toolbar > SAVE_DB

and Isotropic.
We'll use the previously defined parameter names while specifying the material
properties. Enter 2.8E7 for Young's modulus EX, 0.3 for Poisson's Ratio PRXY. Click
OK.

This completes the specification of Material Model Number 1. When we mesh the
geometry later on, we'll use the reference no. 1 to assign this material model. Close the
Define Material Model Behavior menu.
Save your work
Toolbar > SAVE_DB

Since the geometry excluding the cutout region is symmetric with respect to the vertical
centerline, we will model half of the crank and then mirror the other half to complete the
crank body. Then we will create the cutout from a set of keypoints.
Create a Rectangular Area
Main Menu > Preprocessor > Modeling > Create > Areas > Rectangle > By 2 Corners
Enter the values as shown below. Click OK.
It may be helpful to turn on area numbering to identify the different areas you create.
Utility menu > PlotCtrls > Numbering ...
Check the box next to AREA Area numbers to turn on area numbering. Click OK.
Create Circular Areas
Main Menu > Preprocessor > Modeling > Create > Areas > Circle > Solid Circle
Enter the values as shown below. Click Apply. This creates the rounded end of the crank.
Enter the new set of values shown below. Click OK. This creates the area for a hole.
Your window should look something like the picture below. You can click Utility Menu >
Plot > Replot or click on the Fit View button on the right toolbar (the button with a block
under a magnifying glass) to refresh the view.
To correct any mistakes, you must click Main Menu > Preprocessor > Modeling > Delete
> Areas Only and then pick each area you want to remove. The mouse pointer will show
an up arrow for picking areas and a down arrow for un-picking areas. Right-click to
switch between pick and unpick mode. When you have made all your selections, click
OK. Click Utility Menu > Plot > Replot to refresh the view.
Add Areas
Main Menu > Preprocessor > Modeling > Operate > Booleans > Add > Areas
Pick the rectangular and large circular areas. Click OK. (This is where the area
numbering may come in handy) The result should look like the image below.
Subtract Hole Area
Now we create the hole by subtracting the round area from the rest of the crank.
Main Menu > Preprocessor > Modeling > Operate > Booleans > Subtract > Areas
First pick the body of the crank and click OK. Then pick the hole, and click OK again.
The result is shown below.
Reflecting the Area
To create the other half of the crank, we will reflect the current area about the Y-Z plane.
Main Menu > Preprocessor > Modeling > Reflect > Areas
Click on Pick All. The Y-Z plane is selected by default, so click OK. All that's left now is
to add the two halves of the crank together.
Main Menu > Preprocessor > Modeling > Operate > Booleans > Add > Areas
Click on Pick All. The result is shown below.
Creating Keypoints for the Cut-out Region
Since the material to be removed in the middle of the crank is an irregular shape, we will
define some keypoints in order to create and subtract this area.
Enter the values shown below and click Apply. Leave the keypoint number blank to let
ANSYS automatically assign an ID number. Alternatively, you may specify your own
number (as long as that keypoint isn't already taken). To see a list of existing keypoints,
go to Utility Menu > List > Keypoint > Coordinates Only. The Z location is left blank
because it is 0 by default.
Continue adding the following points:

(0.7972, 0.3248)
(0.7972, 0.9744)
(-0.7972, 1.1368)
The result:
Creating Lines and Fillets from Keypoints

Main Menu > Preprocessor > Modeling > Create > Lines > Lines > Straight Line
Select pairs of points by clicking on beginning and end keypoints. You will notice that
after clicking on the first point, ANSYS will predict where you want the line to be drawn
to. Select four lines to form a quadrilateral at the center of the crank, then click OK.
Don't panic if all the lines disappear. In the current view, only areas are displayed. Switch
to line view by:
Utility Menu > Plot > Lines
The result:
Next, we want to fillet the corners, as specified in the drawing. You can zoom in and out
by using the mouse wheel or clicking on the appropriate buttons on the right toolbar
(magnifying glass with + or -).
Main Menu > Preprocessor > Modeling > Create > Lines > Line Fillet
Pick two lines that meet at a corner where you want to put a fillet, then click OK. Enter a
fillet radius of 0.177, and click Apply. Repeat for the other three corners of the
quadrilateral. Compare results with image below.
Finishing the Crank Face
All that's left now is to create a new area from the filleted quadrilateral region, and then
subtract it from the rest of the crank face.
Main Menu > Preprocessor > Modeling > Create > Areas > Arbitrary > By Lines
In the Pick window, select Loop. Click on any of the line segments that we have just
created and the entire cutout region should be selected. Click OK. Switch back to area
view by going to
Utility Menu > Plot > Areas
Subtract out the new area from the rest of the crank by the same procedure as before.
Main Menu > Preprocessor > Modeling > Operate > Booleans > Subtract > Areas
Select the rest of the crank face, then OK. It will be helpful to hold down the left mouse-
button while picking an area, as an area changes color when it is selected. Move the
pointer until the desired area is highlighted, then release the button. Finally, select the
new cut-out area, then OK again. The result:
Creating the Volume
We will now make the face 3-D by extruding it by a given offset distance, similar to
modeling in CAD.
Main Menu > Preprocessor > Modeling > Operate > Extrude > Areas > By XYZ Offset
Click Pick All. In the following window, change the DZ offset to 0.5. Click OK. To see
your finished work, go to
Utility Menu > Plot > Volumes
Then click on the isometric view button on the right toolbar.

Creating the Pedal Shaft
Main Menu > Preprocessor > Modeling > Create > Volumes > Cylinder > Solid Cylinder
Enter the following values and press OK.

We must now glue the shaft to the crank. The reason for using "glue" instead of
performing a boolean add on the volumes is to maintain two discrete parts. This provides
more flexibility in modeling, as it can allow for different materials and meshes. Note: If
glue is not used, the two pieces will be independent of each other and the solution will be
incorrect.
Main Menu > Preprocessor > Modeling > Operate > Booleans > Glue > Volumes
Click Pick All to glue our two volumes together. Note that there are no visual indicators
of whether or not the volumes have been glued. You should check the Command Window
and look for the "GLUE VOLUMES" command.
Your complete crank model should now look like this:

Save Your Work
Toolbar > SAVE_DB

Click the Set button for next to Global Element Attributes. Make sure that the TYPE is
MESH200 and click OK. Check the box next to Smart Size and drag the slider to a size
of 4. Click the Set button under Global Size Controls. Enter an element edge length of
0.12 and click OK. Select Areas to be meshed with a Quad shape using the Free mesher.
Click Mesh. Pick the front face of the crank and click OK. You will now see:
The specified smart size 4 and edge length of 0.12in are the result of a iterative process.
ANSYS uses a sizing algorithm that creates smaller mesh elements in areas of potentially
high stress concentration (e.g. curved regions) to improve solution accuracy. Selecting a
smaller (finer) smart size will decrease element size close to the cutout curves. Specifying
an edge length provides a uniform size for the rest of the area being meshed. In this case,
since the material above and below the cutout act as beams, we want at least two mesh
elements in the vertical direction. Feel free to experiment with the mesh tool parameters.
Bring up the MeshTool again, and now Set the mesh type to SOLID45. Under Global
Size Controls, click Set. We want four layers of mesh elements to span the thickness of
the volume, so we will enter a SIZE Element edge length of (0.5 in / 4) = 0.125. Click
OK. Since we had created a MESH200 on the face of the crank, we can now simply
sweep that mesh across the volume. Choose Volumes with a Hex Shape/Wedge to be
meshed. Make sure Auto Src/Trg is selected and click Sweep. Now all we have to do is
pick the crank volume, and ANSYS will extend our previous mesh across the volume.
You can always see the rest of your model by selecting Utility Menu > Plot > Volumes.
Now repeat the procedure with the crank shaft. Remember that the shaft element size
must be the same as the crank so that the shaft elements and crank elements in the hole
line up. (You can ignore any errors that may pop up regarding element size. ANSYS is
complaining because the shape of some of the quadrilateral elements in high stress areas
have a non-ideal element shape) Your final meshed model should look like the following.
We're almost ready to solve the problem.
Save Your Work

Toolbar > SAVE_DB
We have two loading conditions to specify. First we must fix the hole where the crank
would attach to the bicycle. Then we apply our loading condition of 100 lb on the end of
the shaft.
Fixed End
> On Areas
It will be helpful to see the areas we're constraining, so select Utility Menu > Plot >
Areas. We can see that the hole consists of multiple areas (4, in fact). Hold down the left-
click and you can see that there are 4 surfaces that make up the inside of the hole. Pick all
4 and click OK. Select All DOF and click OK. The displacement value can be left blank
as it defaults to 0. You can now see the displacement is fixed in 3 directions at four
places.
Force on Shaft
Main Menu > Preprocessor > Loads > Define Loads > Apply > Structural >
Force/Moment > On Keypoints
Select Utility Menu > PlotCtrls > Numbering ... and turn On Keypoint Numbers. Click
OK. Notice that there is conveniently a keypoint at the tip of the shaft, and pick this point
to apply the force. Click OK. From the orientation of our axes, we want a constant force
in the FY direction with a value of -100. Click OK.
What the model looks like now:

Now let's see some results!
Save Your Work
Toolbar > SAVE_DB
Step 7: Solve!
Before we start the solution, we should check our model for errors. Enter check in the
Input window and press Enter.
All warnings and errors found will be displayed in the Output Window. You might see
warnings regarding the size of several mesh elements. These warnings can be ignored due
to the large overall number of elements in our model.
Now we're finally ready to kick back and let ANSYS do some of the work.
Again ignore any warnings that may pop up. ANSYS should cheerfully report "Solution
is done!"
Verify that ANSYS has created a file called crank.rst in your working directory. This file

Plot Deformed Shape
Select Def + undef edge and click OK.
deformation DMX is .026188in as reported in the Graphics window. We should check
that our results make sense. It appears that the boundary counditions have been satisfied
as the tip of the shaft moves downward and the other end of the crank is undeformed.
Animate the deformation
Utility Menu > PlotCtrls > Animate > Deformed Shape...
Controller.
Plot Nodal Solution of von Mises Stress

For a quick refresher on von Mises stress, click Help. Search for von mises and click on
the result 2.4 Combined Stresses and Strains. This can be useful if your MAE212 book
isn't lying around.
Select Nodal Solution > Stress > von Mises stress and click OK. To change the range of
stresses displayed, go to
Utility Menu > PlotCtrls > Style > Contours > Uniform Contours ...
and select User specified. Specify a range of minimum 0 and maximum 25000. We can
now see more color variation in the model, and easily pick out the red areas.
When you plot the "Nodal Solution", ANSYS obtains a continuous distribution as
follows:
1. It determines the average at each node of the values of all elements connected to the
node.
2. Within each element, it linearly interpolates the average nodal value obtained in the
previous step.
The stress concentration located at the tip of the shaft can be ignored as the force is
applied as a point load. To hide the crank shaft, go to
Utility menu > Select > Entities ...
Select Volumes, By Num/Pick, From Full and click Apply. Pick the crank volume and
click OK. After we've selected a volume, we must select all the elements in this volume
to be plotted. In the Select Entities window, select Elements, Attached to, Volumes and
click Apply. Click Replot to display the new selection. Notice the deformation is
exaggerated, revealing that deformation is primarily caused by torsion.
To see the whole model again, go to the Select Entities window and click Sele All and
Replot. (If for some reason select all fails, you can always go to Utility Menu > Select >
Everything)
Comparing the Sigma_xx Stress with von Mises Stress
To verify that the bending stress in the crank is relatively insignificant, we can compare
the element sigma_xx solution with the elemental von Mises solution.
General Postproc > Plot Results > Contour Plot > Element Solu
Click on Stress, then X-Component of stress , then the Apply. Notice that the top-left and
bottom-right corners of the cutout area are now blue, and that the scale has been
readjusted to show that blue is now a large negative stress value. If this were a case of
pure bending, we would expect the top of the crank to be in tension, not compression!
(Note: if grey areas are appearing in your contour plots, you should go to Utility Menu >
PlotCtrls > Style > Contours > Uniform Contours ..., select Auto calculated, and click
OK.)
To find out information about specific points on the model, go to
General Postproc > Query Results > Subgrid Solu
Select Stress, X-direction SX, and click OK. The picking window will appear, and you
can click on any point in the model. Click OK when finished.
Compare the stress values with the von Mises stress. (Click on von Mises stress, then
OK)
Investigate the Stress Concentration
Let's zoom in on the red area. Use the mouse wheel to zoom in and out in the view area.
Some other viewing functions: Holding down the Ctrl key and the left mouse button
allows you to pan the view, while holding the Ctrl key and the right mouse button allows
you to rotate the view. Hold down the right mouse button and draw a rectangle to zoom in
on a specific region.
Recall that the nodal solution shows average stress values. Let's compare the nodal
solution with the element solution.
General Postproc > Plot Results > Contour Plot > Element Solu
Click on Stress, then von Mises Stress, then the OK button. The stress in adjacent
elements appears to be fairly continuous, suggesting that we have selected a good mesh
for this area. We will check this in the next step when we refine the mesh.
It is very important that you take the time to check the validity of your solution. This
section leads you through some of the steps you can take to validate your solution.
Simple Checks
Does the deformed shape look reasonable and agree with the applied boundary
check this, select
Select All struc forc F for Item to be listed and click OK. The forces in the X and Z
directions are essentially zero and the total Y-reaction is 100.00 (lbf) as expected.
Refine Mesh
Let's repeat the solution on a finer mesh with more divisions in the z-direction. Repeat
the mesh steps for the MESH200 element, but this time use smart size 3 and element size
of 0.08. Repeat the mesh steps for the SOLID45 element and set the element edge length
to 0.05 instead of 0.125. This will create 10 divisions through the thickness of the crank
instead of 4. When warned that the picked volumes are already meshed, check Yes and
click OK to remesh.
Obtain a new solution and plot the elemental solution of the von Mises stress:
. Coarser Mesh Finer Mesh
DMX 0.026188in 0.026652in
SMX 28883psi 26862psi
The maximum displacement at the tip of shaft is 1.8% greater and the maximum stress is
7.0% less at the upper-left corner of the cutout. We need to further refine the mesh to
validate the solution.
Exit ANSYS
The problem considered here is the curved beam of uniform trapezoidal cross-section in
example 6.15 of Cook et al. The beam is bent in its own plane by moments M. The
problem is not axisymmetric because displacements have circumferential as well as radial
and axial components. So we use 3D solid elements rather than axisymmetric elements.
The geometry can nevertheless be described in cylindrical coordinates.
We would like to obtain the stresses for the trapezoidal cross-section AA shown above.
Stresses in the curved beam do not vary with θ, so we can reduce the model and analyze
only a typical slice between two closely spaced radial planes as shown below. The angle
between AB and CD is taken to be 5 deg. as suggested by Cook el al.
The bending moment M must be applied indirectly in the reduced model since we don't
know a priori the circumferential stress distribution it produces on the cross-section.
Instead, we'll prescribe displacements such that radial plane sections remain plane and a
pure moment load acts on the model i.e. no net force acts on it. The moment M can be
computed from the stress distribution on the cross-section obtained from FEA. Stresses
scale linearly with the applied moment. So the stresses associated with a prescribed
moment Mp can be obtained by multiplying the computed stresses by the ratio Mp/M.
The z-constant plane containing A,B,C and D is a symmetry plane. So only half the cross-
section needs to be modeled.
Boundary Conditions
The nodal d.o.f. in the radial (u), circumferential (v), and axial (w) directions are
constrained as follows:
Face 1 Face 2
u=0 at node A .
v=0 at all nodes v=0.0001(rc-r)at all nodes
w=0 along AB w=0 along CD
All remaining d.o.f. are unrestrained. Setting u=0 at A prevents rigid body motion in the
r-direction. Setting v=0 on face 1 nodes prevents circumferential motion of face 1.
Setting w=0 on ABCD imposes symmetry about the middle r-θ plane. The above BC on
face 2 nodes causes face 2 to remain plane as it rotates about a z-parallel axis at r=rc. The
factor 0.0001 is arbitrarily chosen. At the outset, the appropriate value of rc is not known.
The right value of rc will give a pure bending load so that the radial reaction RA at node A
is zero. Two preliminary FE analysis with guess values of rc=60mm and rc=70mm were
done. The respective RA values turn out to be 2001N and 357N. By linear extrapolation,
RA=0 when rc=72.2mm. So we'll use rc=72.2mm in our analysis. (Since this is a
pedagogical exercise, I've decided to be nice and give you the rc value to use. In the real
world, you'd of course have to figure it out yourself).
Go to Step 1: Start-up and preliminary set-up

Create a folder
Create a folder called cbeam at a convenient location. We'll use this folder to store files
Start ANSYS
Start > Programs > ANSYS Release 7.0 > ANSYS Interactive
Enter the location of the folder cbeam that you just created as your Working directory by
browsing to it.
Enter cbeam as your Initial jobname. So all files generated during this ANSYS session
will have cbeam as the prefix. Click on Run.
Resize the ANSYS windows as shown in this snapshot so that you can read instructions
in your browser window and implement them in ANSYS.
Set Preferences
the menu options valid for structural problems are made available.
Main Menu > Preprocessor > Element Type > Add/Edit/Delete > Add...
Pick Structural Solid in the left field and Brick 8-node 45 in the right field. Click OK.
Close the Element Types dialog box and also the Element Type menu.
Main Menu > Preprocessor> Real Constants > Add/Edit/Delete > Add...
defined in the previous step. We have only one element type and it is automatically
selected. Click OK.
You should get a note saying "Please check and change keyopt setting for element
SOLID45 before proceeding." This means that there are no real constants to be specified
for this element, as you might recall from the plate tutorial.
Close the Real Constants menu.
Save Your Work
Toolbar > SAVE_DB

Main Menu > Preprocessor > Material Props > Material Models
and Isotropic.
Enter 200e9 for Young's modulus EX, 0.3 for Poisson's Ratio PRXY.
Click OK. Close the Define Material Model Behavior menu.
Save Your Work
Toolbar > SAVE_DB

We'll first create keypoints corresponding to the eight vertices of the model and then
generate a volume from the keypoints. The keypoints will be created in the cylindrical
coordinate system. Four of the keypoints are the vertices A,B,C and D shown in the
figure of the geometry. The other four keypoints have the same r and θ as A,B,C and D
but are displaced in the z-direction with respect to them.
Create Scalar Parameters
For convenience, we'll create scalar parameters for the geometric dimensions in SI units.
Enter the following parameters, clicking Accept after each. Check the figure of the
geometry to see what dimension each parameter corresponds to.
R1=44e-3
R2=R1+88e-3
Z1=65e-3
Z2=14e-3
Click Close.
Switch to Cylindrical Coordinate System
Utility Menu > WorkPlane > Change Active CS to > Global Cylindrical
Check that ANSYS reports the active coordinate system in the Output window :
The reference number that ANSYS uses for the cylindrical coordinate system is 1 (the
Cartesian system is 0).
Save your work: Toolbar > SAVE_DB
Create Keypoints
When the active coordinate system is set to cylindrical, X, Y, and Z in the menus refer to
the cylindrical coordinates r, θ (in degrees) and z, respectively. Remember to make this
mental substitution as you enter the keypoint coordinates. Also, you can use the tab key
to move the cursor to the next entry field. Don't forget to change the keypoint number as
you enter the coordinates of the keypoints.
Enter the keypoint locations (think about where each one lies as you enter its
coordinates):
Keypoint 1: X=R1, Y=90, Z=0, Click Apply.
Keypoint 3: X=R1, Y=95, Z=Z1, Click Apply.
Keypoint 8: X=R2, Y=90, Z=Z2, Click OK.
Switch to the isometric view: Utility Menu > PlotCtrls > Pan, Zoom, Rotate > Iso
(Click Picture for Larger Image)

Note the orientation of the x-y-z triad at the bottom in the isometric view. The Pan-
Zoom-Rotate menu, as the name indicates, can be used to change the viewing direction,
zoom in and out and rotate the model. Close this menu.
ANSYS reports "csys=1" at the top of the Graphics window, csys referring to the
coordinate system. This is a quick way to check the current active coordinate system.
Create Volume
We'll next generate a volume from the 8 keypoints. The order of the keypoints should be
around the bottom first and then the top.
Switch to the Cartesian coordinate system for generating the volume:
Utility Menu > WorkPlane > Change Active CS to > Global Cartesian
ANSYS reports "csys=0" at the top of the Graphics window.
The lines (i.e. edges) connecting the keypoints that ANSYS generates during the volume
creation are "straight" in the active coordinate system. Since we want these edges to be
straight, the active coordinate system needs to be Cartesian rather than a curvilinear
system like the Cylindrical.
Main Menu > Preprocessor > Modeling > Create > Volumes > Arbitrary > Through KPs
Pick the 8 keypoints in the order in which they are numbered. Click OK in the pick menu.
Plot Lines
Let's take a look at the lines that ANSYS generated in the volume creation process:
Turn off the background (otherwise it looks like the line connecting keypoints 7 and 8 is
missing):
Utility Menu > PlotCtrls > Style > Background > Display Picture Background
Save Your Work
Toolbar > SAVE_DB

The element type and material property set to be used in meshing are automatically
selected since we have only one of each. To check this using the MeshTool, make sure
Global is selected under Element Attributes and click on Set. You will see that the correct
element type and material number are already selected in the Meshing Attributes menu.
There is no real constant set required for the SOLID45 element with default options
(which we haven't changed). Click Cancel.
Set Mesh Size
Two views of the FE mesh we want to use are shown in the figure below.
Curved beam theory predicts that the stress gradients will be highest on the edge nearest
the center of curvature. So we want to use a graded mesh such that the radial length of
elements increases as we go from edge AC towards edge BD. The spacing ratio
parameter is used to control mesh grading in ANSYS. If positive, the spacing ratio is the
ratio of last division size to first division size. Of course, the direction of line AB, for
example, can be from A to B or B to A. We need to know the direction in order to
determine which is the first division and which is the last. The way to determine the line
direction is shown below. The default spacing ratio is one i.e. no mesh grading. Along
lines AB and CD, we will use a spacing ratio of 0.3 (with the mesh spacing increasing
from A to B and C to D).
Turn on line and keypoint numbers:
Turn on Keypoint numbers and Line numbers and click OK.

Utility Menu > List > Lines > OK
Looking at the table and figure, we see that the line 7 (or L7) goes from keypoint 5
(vertex B) to keypoint 1 (vertex A). So the first division is that next to B and the last
division is that next to A. Since we want the radial mesh spacing to decrease from B to A,
the spacing ratio is 0.3 (rather than 1/0.3). Similarly, determine the direction and spacing
ratio for L5, L9 and L11.
Let's make a table summarizing the number of divisions (NDIV) and spacing ratio
(SPACE) for each line.
Line no. NDIV SPACE

L1,L3,L6,L10 1 1
L2,L4,L8,L12 5 1
L7,L9,L11 8 0.3
L5 8 1/0.3
Your keypoint and line numbers may be different from the above and you should make
your own table to account for that. Refer to the table while following the instructions
given below for specifying no. of divisions and spacing ratio for each line.
If you have trouble selecting the correct line below, hold down the left mouse button
until the line is selected and then release the left button. If you want to deselect a line,
right-click to go into deselect mode, left-click on the line to be deselected and right-click
again to go back into select mode.
In MeshTool, under Size Controls and Lines, click Set. This brings up a pick menu.
Pick lines L1,L3,L6, and L10 and click OK in the pick menu. Enter 1 for No. of element
divisions and click Apply. (The Spacing Ratio field can be left blank since the default
value is one.)
divisions and click Apply.
Pick lines L7,L9, and L11 in the Graphics window and click OK in the pick menu. Enter
8 for No. of element divisions, 0.3 for Spacing Ratio and click Apply.
Pick line L5 in the Graphics window and click OK in the pick menu. Enter 8 for No. of
element divisions, 1/0.3 for Spacing Ratio and click OK.
Mesh Volume
We'll mesh the volume using hexahedral elements (rather than tetrahedral elements). So
choose Hex under Shape in the MeshTool.
Make sure Volumes is selected in the drop-down list next to Mesh in the MeshTool. This
means the geometry component to be meshed is a volume. Click on .
Click on Pick All in the pick menu. The volume is meshed.

Utility Menu > PlotCtrls > Pan, Zoom, Rotate
Look at various views of the mesh and satisfy yourself that it looks right.
Click on Iso for the isometric view and then close the Pan-Zoom-Rotate menu.
Close the MeshTool.

Recall that the BCs for face 1 are:
u=0 at node A (keypoint 1)
v=0 at all face 1 nodes
w=0 along AB (line L7)
These BCs are in the cylindrical coordinate system. Switch to this coordinate system:
Utility Menu > WorkPlane > Change Active CS to > Global Cylindrical
We'll work with areas while specifying the BCs. So plot areas: Utility Menu > Plot >
Areas
Rotate Nodal Coordinate System
In ANSYS, the boundary constraints are applied in the nodal coordinate system which by
default is parallel to the global Cartesian system. Since we want to apply the constraints
in the global Cylindrical coordinate system, we need to rotate the nodal coordinate
system into the active coordinate system (i.e. Cylindrical) using the nrotat command.
Type nrotat,all in the Input window.
To see the help page for nrotat, type help,nrotat in the Input window.
Apply u=0 at Node A
> On Nodes
Select node at A in the lower-right corner and click OK in the pick menu. Select UX for
DOFs to be constrained. You can leave the Displacement value blank since the default is
zero. Click OK. You'll see an arrow symbol in the Graphics window indicating that the
node A is constrained in the radial direction.
Select Nodes on Face 1
ANSYS provides extensive capabilities, referred to as "select logic", for selecting a

subset of the full model using various criteria. We'll use select logic to select the nodes on
face 1. We'll first select the area corresponding to face 1 and then select the nodes
attached to this area.
Utility Menu > Select > Entities
Select Areas from the pull-down menu at the top. Make sure By Num/Pick is selected
below that. Click Apply.
Hold down the left mouse button until face 1 is picked. Click OK in the pick menu.
Only the area corresponding to face 1 is selected currently. Verify this: Utility Menu >
Plot > Areas.
Next we'll select the nodes attached to the selected area. In the Select Entities menu,
select Nodes from the pull-down menu at the top and Attached to below that. Select
Areas, All below that. Click Apply.
Check that only nodes attached to face 1 are currently selected: Utility Menu > Plot >
Nodes
Apply v=0 on Face 1
> On Nodes
Pick All nodes in the pick menu. Select UY for DOFs to be constrained and click OK.
You'll see arrow symbols in the Graphics window indicating that the nodes on face 1 are
constrained in the circumferential direction.
We can use Pick All since only the nodes on face 1 are currently selected. ANSYS
commands apply only to the currently selected entities.
Select Nodes Along AB
Plot lines: Utility Menu > Plot > Lines
In the Select Entities menu, select Lines from the pull-down menu at the top and By
Num/Pick below that. Click Apply.
Click on line AB (L7) and OK in the pick menu.
Next we'll select the nodes attached to the selected line. In the Select Entities menu, select
Nodes from the pull-down menu at the top and Attached to below that. Select Lines, All
Check that only nodes attached to line AB are currently selected: Utility Menu > Plot >
Nodes
Apply w=0 Along AB
> On Nodes
Pick All nodes in the pick menu. Select UZ for DOFs to be constrained and click OK.
Define Function
Recall that the BCs for face 2 are:

v=0.0001(rc-r) at all face 2 nodes
w=0 along CD (line L5)
Since the BC on v is a function of the spatial coordinates, we need to define a function to

apply this BC. Bring up the function editor:
Utility Menu > Parameters > Functions > Define/Edit...
You can enter the function using the calculator buttons or type it in. The variables such as
TIME, X, Y etc. that are available for defining functions are in the pull-down list below
the Result field. For entering the spatial coordinates X and Y, use the pull-down menu.
Enter the function:
Result = 1e-4*(72.2e-3 - sqrt({X}^2+{Y}^2))
Note that variables are enclosed in squiggly brackets.
Save the function: Function Editor > File > Save
Use vface2.func for the filename.
Close the function editor.
Define Table from Function
ANSYS doesn't allow the user to use functions directly while applying loads to a model.
Instead, one has to go through the additional step of using a "Function Loader" that
retrieves the function and loads it as a Table array. The Table array can then be applied to
the model. The process is not exactly elegant but then we are engineers.
Utility Menu > Parameters > Functions > Read From File
Select vface2.func and click Open.
Enter vface2 for Table parameter name.
Observe that ANSYS displays the equation that will be used in creating the Table array.
Click OK.
Select Nodes on Face 2
Start by selecting the whole model to undo previous selects.
Utility Menu > Select > Everything
To select the nodes on face 2, we'll follow the same procedure as for face 1.
Select Areas from the pull-down menu at the top. Select By Num/Pick below that. Click
Apply.
Hold down the left mouse button until face 2 is picked. Click OK in the pick menu.
Only the area corresponding to face 2 is selected currently. Verify this: Utility Menu >
Plot > Areas.
Next we'll select the nodes attached to the selected area. In the Select Entities menu,
select Nodes from the pull-down menu at the top and Attached to below that. Select
Areas, All below that. Click Apply.
Check that only nodes attached to face 2 are currently selected: Utility Menu > Plot >
Nodes
Apply BC for v on Face 2
We'll use the vface2 table that we created to apply this BC.
> On Nodes
Pick All nodes in the pick menu. Select UY for DOFs to be constrained. Select Existing
table under Apply as and click OK.
We have defined only one table (VFACE2) and that is automatically selected. Click OK.
You'll see arrow symbols in the Graphics window indicating that the nodes on face 2 are
constrained in the circumferential direction.
Select Nodes Along CD
Plot lines: Utility Menu > Plot > Lines
In the Select Entities menu, select Lines from the pull-down menu at the top and By
Num/Pick below that. Click Apply.
Click on line CD (L5) and OK in the pick menu.
Next we'll select the nodes attached to the selected line. In the Select Entities menu, select
Nodes from the pull-down menu at the top and Attached to below that. Select Lines, All
Check that only nodes attached to line CD are currently selected: Utility Menu > Plot >
Nodes
Apply w=0 Along CD
> On Nodes
Pick All nodes in the pick menu. Select UZ for DOFs to be constrained. Select Constant
value under Apply as and click OK.
Utility Menu > Select > Everything
Utility Menu > Plot > Volumes

Save your work:Toolbar > SAVE_DB
Step 7: Solve!
Enter Solution Module:
Enter check in the Input window. If the problem has been set up correctly, there will be
no errors or warnings reported. If you look in the Output window, you should see the
message: The analysis data was checked and no warnings or
errors were found.
done!". Close the yellow window.
Verify that ANSYS has created a file called cbeam.rst in your working directory. This file

Plot von Mises Stress
To display the von Mises stress distribution as continuous contours, select
Select Stress from the left list, von Mises SEQV from the right list and click OK.
Utility Menu > PlotCtrls > Pan,Zoom,Rotate > Right

The maximum von Mises stress is 147 MPa and occurs at the bottom on the symmetry
line.
Plot Circumferential Stress
σθis the SY stress component in cylindrical coordinates in ANSYS. Activate the

cylindrical coordinate system for results display (you need to do this even if you were
working in the cylindrical system in the preprocessor):
Main Menu > General Postproc > Options for Outp
Select Global Cylindric for Results Coord System.
To display theσθstress distribution over face 1 as continuous contours, select
Main Menu > General Postproc > Contour Plot > Plot results > Nodal Solu
Select Stress from the left list, Y-direction SY from the right list and click OK.
Check where the maximum (MX) and minimum (MN) σθvalues occur in the plot. The
circumferential stress is tensile (positive) and compressive (negative) on the inner and
outer portions of the cross-section, respectively. Is this what you'd have expected?
Theσθcontours are more closely spaced at smaller r values. This agrees with the
prediction of curved beam theory that the stress gradients will be highest on the edge
nearest the center of curvature.
Plot Neutral Axis
The neutral axis is the locus of points where σθis zero. To visualize the neutral axis, we'll
change the contour levels that are plotted.
Utility Menu > PlotCtrls > Style > Contours > Uniform Contours
Enter 2 for Number of contours, and choose User specified for Contour Intervals. Enter
Min contour value=-0.2E9, Max contour value=0.2E9, and Contour value incr=0.2E9.
Click OK.
This plots the regions with positive and negative σθvalues in different colors. In the red
region, 0<σθ<200MPa and in the blue region, -200MPa<σθ<0. So the boundary between
the two colors is the neutral axis.
The FEA results indicate that the neutral axis is curved, contrary to the assumption in
mechanics of materials theory.
Plot Radial Stress
In cylindrical coordinates, the radial stress is the SX stress component.

Main Menu > General Postproc > Plot results > Nodal Solu...
Select Stress from the left list, X-direction SX from the right list and click OK.
Change contour plot options back to original:
Utility Menu > PlotCtrls > Style > Contours > Uniform Contours
Enter 9 for Number of contours, and choose Auto calculated for Contour Intervals. Click
OK.
The radial stress is tensile over the entire cross-section.
Plot Deformed Shape
displacement DMX=0.230e-4 m.
Controller.
From the animation of the deformation of the cross-section, check that the following BCs
are satisfied: u=0 at node A, w=0 along AB and CD. (Note that the z-direction is from
right to left in the above view).
The radial stress is tensile, so the radial dimension becomes larger as expected. We saw
that the circumferential stress is, respectively, tensile and compressive on the inner and
outer portions of the cross-section. You can check that the stress SZ parallel to the axis of
revolution is small. Therefore, the Poisson effect should cause the inner and outer
portions, respectively, to contract and expand in the z-direction as is observed.
Circumferential tension on the inner portion pulls material toward the center of curvature.
Outer corners are more flexible than the central portion. So it makes sense that the outer,
bottom corner moves inward with respect to central point A (Cook et al). Thus, the
deformation we gets looks reasonable.
Animate the front view:
Utility Menu > PlotCtrls > Pan,Zoom,Rotate > Front

Controller.
From this animation, check that the BCs for v on both faces are satisfied.

Simple Checks
Does the deformed shape look reasonable and agree with the applied BCs? We checked
this in step 8.
check this, select
There are no applied forces in this problem, so the total reaction force should be zero for
equilibrium. The total reaction force in the radial direction (FX) is 4.6 N which is close to
zero. We can lower it even further by refining our estimate of rc. The total reaction forces
FY in the cirumferential direction and FZ in the axial direction are small but not zero.
This is possible because FX is small but not zero. So the structure is in equilibrium to a
reasonable degree of approximation.
Refine Mesh
Let's repeat the calculations on a mesh with twice the no. of mesh divisions in the radial
and axial directions while retaining a single division on AC and BD. We need to reset
NDIV and SPACE on the following lines:
Line no. NDIV SPACE

L2,L4,L8,L12 10 1
L7,L9,L11 16 0.3
L5 16 1/0.3
Let's use a different jobname for the refined mesh case. Change jobname: Utility Menu >
File > Change Jobname
Enter cbeam2 as the new jobname and click OK.

Delete the current mesh: Select Clear under Mesh: and Pick All in the pick menu. The
mesh is deleted.
Under Size Controls and Lines, click Set. This brings up a pick menu.
divisions, leave Spacing Ratio blank and click Apply.
Pick lines L7,L9, and L11 in the Graphics window and click OK in the pick menu. Enter
16 for No. of element divisions, 0.3 for Spacing Ratio and click Apply.
Pick line L5 in the Graphics window and click OK in the pick menu. Enter 16 for No. of
element divisions, 1/0.3 for Spacing Ratio and click OK.
Select Volumes for Mesh: and Hex for Shapes:, then click Mesh.
Since we applied the BCs to the finite-element model rather than the solid geometry
model, the BCs were deleted along with the mesh. So we have to reapply the BCs again.
Repeat step6 to reapply the BCs. It might feel like a chore but consider it as good
practice. Since the vface2 table for applying the BC on face 2 already exists, you need not
recreate the function or the table.
This will create the file cbeam2.db in your working directory.
After reapplying the BCs, solve the problem as in step7.
Plot Circumferential Stress
Display theσθstress distribution over face 1:
Select Stress from the left list, Y-direction SY from the right list and click OK.
Compare this result with the plot obtained on the coarser mesh. The results on the two
meshes compare well indicating that the coarse mesh provides good resolution. Similarly,
compare the von Mises stress results on the two meshes.
Exit ANSYS
Reference
Cook, R.D., Malkus, D.S., Plesha, M.E., and Witt, R.J., Concepts and Applications of
Finite Element Analysis, Fourth Edition, John Wiley and Sons, Inc., 2002.
The problem considered here is the vibration analysis of the right-angle frame in example
11.17 on page 436 of Cook et al.
Create a folder
Create a folder called dynamics at convenient location. We'll use this folder to store files
Start ANSYS
Start > Programs > ANSYS Release 7.0 > ANSYS Interactive
Specify directory and job name
In the window ANSYS Interactive 7.0 Launcher that pops up, enter the location of the
folder you just created as your Working directory by browsing to it (for example,
C:\dynamics). Specify raf as your Initial jobname. The jobname is the prefix used for all
files generated by the ANSYS run. Click on Run.
Set Preferences
the menu option valid for the structural problems are made available.
Enter Parameters
For convenience, we'll create scalar parameters corresponding to v, I , p, and E.
Enter the parameter values and click Accept after each.
E = 200e9
nu = 0.29
rho = 7860
I = (1e-4)/12
the problem in ANSYS. This is also helpful in carrying out parametric studies.

In the Preprocessor Menu, Select:
Element Type > Add/Edit/Delete > Add...
Pick Beam in the left field and 2D elastic 3 in the right field.
Click OK.
Close the Element Types dialog box and also the Element Type menu.
Specify the Constants
In the Preprocessor menu, Select:
Real Constants > Add/Edit/Delete > Add...
This brings up the Element Type for Real Constants dialog box with a list of the element
types defined in the previous step. Click OK to select the BEAM3 element. Enter the
following values:
AREA = h*h
IZZ = I
HEIGHT = h
Save your work by clicking on the Save_DB button in the ANSYS Toolbar.

Enter the Define Material Model Behavior menu
Select Main Menu > Preprocessor > Material Props > Material Models
and Isotropic.
Specify Material properties
Enter E for Young's modulus EX, nu for Poisson's Ratio PRXY.
Click OK.
Double-click on Density under Structural.
Enter rho for DENS.

Click OK.
This completes the specification for Material Model #1. Close the Define Material Model
Behavior menu.
Save your work
Click on the SAVE_DB button in the ANSYS Toolbar.

Create Keypoints
Select in Preprocessor menu:
Modeling > Create > Keypoints > In Active CS
Enter:
Keypoint 1: X=0, Y=0

Click OK.
Create the Lines AB and BC
Select in Preprocessor menu:
Modeling > Create> Lines > Lines > In Active Coord
Select keypoint 1 followed by keypoint 2.
Click OK.
Select keypoint 2 followed by keypoint 3.
Click OK.
Save your work
Click on SAVE_DB in the ANSYS Toolbar to save the database.

Generate the Mesh
To bring up the MeshTool, Select:
Main Menu > Preprocessor > MeshTool.

Click on Set under Element Attributes in the MeshTool.
This brings up the Meshing Attributes menu. You will see that the correct element type,
material number and real constants are already selected since we have only one of each.
Close this menu by clicking OK.
Define Number of Elements for Each Line
We'll use 20 elements for AB and 20 elements for BC to be consistent with Cook et al.
Under Size Control and Lines, click Set.
Select line AB.

Click OK.
Enter 30 for NDIV.
Click Apply.
Select line BC.
Click OK.
Enter 20 for NDIV.

Click OK.
Creating the Mesh
In the MeshTool, click on Mesh. This brings up the pick menu. Click on Pick All.
The geometry has been meshed and the elements are plotted in the graphics window.
Close the MeshTool.
Save your work
Once you have successfully created the mesh, click on SAVE_DB in the ANSYS Toolbar
to save the database.
Go to Step 6: Specify boundary conditions

Set Options
Select in Main Menu:
Solution > Analysis Type > New Analysis > Modal

Then select in Main Menu:
Solution > Analysis Type > Analysis Options
Enter 10 for No of modes to extract.
Click OK and then OK again to accept defaults for the Block Lanczos Method.
Select in Preprocessor:
Loads > Define Loads > Apply > Structural > Displacement > On Keypoints
Select keypoint at A. Select UX and UY, Enter 0 for Displacement value.
Click OK.
Select keypoint at C. Select UY, Enter 0 for Displacement value.

Click OK.
Specify Damping Ratio
Select in Preprocessor:
Loads > Load Step Opts > Time/Frequency > Damping
Enter 0.02 for Constant damping ratio.

Click OK.
Save your work
Step 7: Solve!
Enter Solution Module
Select in Main Menu:
Review the information in the /STAT Command window.
Close this window.

Click OK in Solve Current Load Step dialog box.
done!"
Save your work

Enter Postprocessing module to analyze solution
Select Results Summary.
This shows you the cyclic frequencies of the ten modes. Compare with the values in the
book.
View Mode Shape for Mode 2
Read Results > By Set Numbers
Enter 2 for NSET.

Click OK.
Plot Results > Deformed Shape
Select Def+undeformed.
Click OK.
This plots the mode shape for mode 2. Similarly, look at the other mode shape and
compare them with figure 11.17-2 in the book.
Find Mode Numbers
Table 11.17-1 gives amplitude values for selected d.o.f. for three nodes.
To find the node numbers corresponding to the ones in the book, turn on node numbering.
Turn on Node Numbers.

Click OK.
If you need to refresh the screen: Utility Menu > Plot > Multi-plots
By comparing the node numbers, we find:
Cook et al. ANSYS

16 17
Node Numbers
41 42
51 32
Determine the Displacement Amplitude
To determine the displacement amplitude at node 17 for mode 3,
General Post Proc > Read Results > By Set Number
Enter 3 for NSET.

General Post Proc > List Results > Nodal Solution
Select UCOMP.
From the list, the displacement amplitude, denoted as USUM, is 23.9e-3. The
corresponding value in table 11.17-1 is 23.8e-3. Similarly, you can determine the other
entries in the table. Note that the rotational d.o.f. to use for the second row in the table is
ROTZ.
Save your work

Create a folder
Create a folder called shell at a convenient location. We'll use this folder to store files
Start ANSYS
On Windows systems, select the appropriate menu path. On my system, the path is
Start > Programs > ANSYS 10.0 > ANSYS Product Launcher
Enter the location of the folder shell that you just created as your Working directory by
browsing to it.
Enter shell as your Initial jobname. Click on Run.
Resize windows as shown in this snapshot so that you can read instructions in your
browser window and implement them in ANSYS.
Set Preferences
that a tick mark appears in the box. From now on, only the menu options valid for
structural problems will be made available.
Units
ANSYS leaves it to us to use a consistent set of units. For convenience, we'll use the
following set of units: mm for geometric dimensions; N for forces; and N/mm2 for
Young's modulus and pressures. The resulting stresses will be in N/mm2 or MPa.
Convince yourself that this is a consistent unit system; don't take my word for it.
Enter Parameters
We'll play smart and create scalar parameters corresponding to the plate and stiffener
dimensions. This will later allow us to vary these parameters and perform optimization
studies.
Define a parameter for the plate length l1 in mm:

L1=750
Click Accept. Similarly, define other parameters corresponding to the dimensions and
click Accept after each (parameter names are not case-sensitive). Before you specify a
parameter, refer to the geometry specification to remind yourself what dimension that
parameter represents.
W1=250
W2=2
W3=2
H1=5
H2=15
H3=20
We'll play smarter and also specify the number of stiffeners in each direction as
parameters so that these too can be varied easily in tradeoff studies. We'll employ the
labels NSX and NSY for the number of stiffeners in the x and y directions, respectively.
NSX=2
NSY=3
We'll use the above parameters when creating the geometry in Step 4. We'll also define
some parameters which we'll use in Step 5 to set the mesh size along edges.
NDIV_X=3
NDIV_Y=6
SIZE_Z=5
In this tutorial, we'll analyze the plane shell with stiffeners shown in the figure below.
(Click for enlarged figure.)
All edges are clamped. A constant pressure of 0.05 N/mm2 acts on the underside of the
shell (i.e. the pressure acts in the +z direction). Since the geometry and loads are
symmetric about both the x and y-axes, we need to model only one-quarter of the
structure. The dimensions of the plate and stiffeners are shown in the figure below which
shows only one-quarter of the structure.
The Young's modulus E =7.3x104 MPa and the Poisson ratio is 0.33.
Print out this page and have it on hand so that you can
easily refer to the geometry and problem specification
as you go through the tutorial. Step 2: Specify element
type and constants
Since thin structures can be modeled efficiently as shells, we'll use shell elements to build
the finite-element model. Shell elements can support membrane and bending loads
consistent with classical shell theory (sorry, FEA doesn't let you off from understanding
basic theory). As you can imagine, shell elements are appropriate when the thickness of
the structure is small compared to the other dimensions. The computational savings come
about because only the mid-surface of the structure is modeled; the thickness and other
cross-sectional properties are incorporated into the element stiffness matrix and input as
"real constants" in ANSYS. (This is analogous to modeling beams using beam elements
where the beams are modeled as lines with thickness and other cross-sectional properties
being "real constants"). Section 2.10 in the ANSYS Element Reference manual gives you a
page of useful information on shell elements. Be sure to peruse it in the online
documentation since it'll be on the final. ;-)
Let's take a peek at the shell elements available in ANSYS. Bring up the ANSYS
documentation window, select the Search tab, enter the phrase "pictorial summary" and
click on List Topics. Then double-click on 3.2 Pictorial Summary in the left pane. At the
top of the pictorial summary of element types in the right pane, click on SHELL
Elements. This brings up the list of shell elements available in ANSYS including many
with specialized capabilities. Perusing this list, you'll see that SHELL63 (4-node elastic
shell) is a basic shell element and a possible candidate for our problem. A close relative is
SHELL93 (8-node elastic shell) which has mid-side nodes in addition to the corner
nodes. Since the mid-side nodes give greater accuracy, we'll use SHELL93 for our
problem. Click on SHELL93 in the help and take a few minutes to persue the manual
page for this element. What are the "real constants" that we'll need to enter in the next
step? Note that each node has six degrees of freedom: three translational and three
rotational.
Pick Shell in the left field and Elastic 8node 93 in the right field. Click OK to select this
element. The SHELL93 element will now be available in the meshing step. Close the
Element Types menu.

This brings up the Element Type for Real Constants menu. Click OK to specify the real
constants for the SHELL93 element.
When meshing, we'll have to assign three different thickness values: H1 for the plate; W2
and W3 for the stiffeners in the x and y directions, respectively. This means we'll have to
create three real constant sets, one for each of these thickness values. According to the
SHELL93 help page, if the element has a constant thickness, only TK(I), the shell
thickness at the first corner node, needs to be input.
Create the first real constant set: make sure Real Constant Set No. is set to 1. For TK(I),
enter H1. Leave the other fields blank since they are not applicable to our problem. Click
Apply.
Create the second set: For Real Constant Set No., enter 2. For TK(I), enter W2 and click
Apply.
Create the last set: For Real Constant Set No., enter 3. For TK(I), enter W3 and click OK.
Save: Toolbar > SAVE_DB

Main Menu > Preprocessor >Material Props > Material Models
and Isotropic.
Enter Young's modulus EX in MPa: 7.3e4
Enter Poisson's Ratio PRXY:0.33. Click OK.
Close the Define Material Model Behavior menu.

Strategy for Geometry Creation
The geometry of the structure has a repetitive pattern as can be seen in the schematic
below. We'll exploit this feature in creating the finite-element mesh for the entire
structure. In this step, we'll create the geometry for the sub-section AEFG only. In Step 5,
we'll mesh this sub-section and use it to generate the mesh for the entire structure in two
steps:
1. We'll copy parts of AEFG to create the sub-section ABCD. (When we copy areas,
the associated mesh is also copied.)
2. We'll copy sub-section ABCD in both directions to generate the mesh for the
entire structure.
Clever move, eh?
In sub-section AEFG above, the stiffeners cross each other at F. Modeling this correctly
is tricky, so indulge me while I explain how we are going to proceed. At the end of the
geometry step, the isometric view of AEFG will look as below, with the keypoint and
area numbers turned on (different colors refer to different areas). If the stiffeners share
keypoints 3,5 and 9, the stiffener crossing is modeled correctly and a load applied to one
stiffener will be transferred appropriately to the other one. To this end, we will divide the
horizontal stiffener into two areas (A3, A4). This will also yield a regular mesh as we'll
see in the meshing step.
Note that the horizontal stiffener has to be split into two areas A3 and A4 because it has a
larger width than the vertical stiffener. Instead, if the vertical stiffener is the wider one,
it'd be the one that you'd have to split into two areas. This would change the topology of
the model; something to keep in mind when you vary the stiffener dimensions in
optimization studies.
Keypoints Coordinates
Using the figure in the problem specification and the one above, create a table of the
keypoint coordinates required to create areas A1-A4, using the parameters defined in Step
1. Recall that areas correspond to the mid-surface of the structure. Are my keypoint
coordinates below correct?
No. x y z
1 0 0 0
2 W1/(2*NSX) 0 0
3 W1/(2*NSX) L1/(2*NSY) 0
4 0 L1/(2*NSY) 0
5 W1/(2*NSX) L1/(2*NSY) H2
6 W1/(2*NSX) 0 H2
7 0 L1/(2*NSY) H2
8 0 L1/(2*NSY) H3
9 W1/(2*NSX) L1/(2*NSY) H3
Create Keypoints and Areas
In previous tutorials, we have defined keypoints (i.e. vertices) using menus. Here, we will
instead use the command line to create keypoints. The two methods are equivalent but the
latter is faster for more experienced users. Let's check the documentation to find the
command for creating keypoints. In the ANSYS documentation window, select the
Search tab, enter "keypoint" as the search term and click on List Topics. Double-click on
5.2 Creating Your ... in the left pane. Section 5.2 has useful information on creating your
solid model. Scroll down to section 5.2.1. The table near the beginning of this section
indicates that the command for creating keypoints is K. Note that the corresponding menu
path is what we have used in previous tutorials to create keypoints. The menu path also
indicates that this command is part of the Preprocessor module. Click on K to see the
format of this command.
Since it is useful to track the keypoint and area numbers as we create the geometry, turn
on keypoint and area numbering: Utility Menu > PlotCtrls > Numbering
Turn on Keypoint numbers and Area numbers and click OK.
To access the K command, make sure the preprocessor module is open.
Create keypoint #1 at (0,0,0): at the command prompt, type K,1,0,0,0 as below and hit
Enter. Note that when you type the command, the format of the command pops-up as a
reminder.
Similarly, create keypoints #2-#4 in the above table by entering the following at the
command prompt:
K,2,W1/(2*NSX),0,0
K,3,W1/(2*NSX),L1/(2*NSY),0
K,4,0,L1/(2*NSY),0
ANSYS uses the current value of the parameters W1, L1, NSX and NSY when creating the
keypoints. If you change the value of any of these parameters after you have created the
keypoints, these keypoints will not be moved accordingly, i.e. the keypoint coordinates
will still contain the old values of the parameters. It is important to remember this
idiosyncracy of ANSYS; otherwise, it could come back to bite you in uncomfortable parts
of your anatomy.
Is it safe to presume that you are cheating like I would and cutting-and-pasting the
command line inputs? That's OK as long as you do them one-by-one so that you can track
the effect of each command. To fit all the keypoints in your current view, click on the Fit
View icon in the rightmost part of the GUI (see snapshot below). You'll have to click on
this button periodically to fit the entire geometry into your view.
To create an area from keypoints #1-#4, enter a,1,2,3,4 at the command line. Note that
ANSYS automatically assigns the label A1 to this first area. This area corresponds to the
plate.
Next create keypoints #5 and #6 followed by the area corresponding to the stiffener in the
y-direction. Enter
K,5,W1/(2*NSX),L1/(2*NSY),H2
K,6,W1/(2*NSX),0,H2
A,2,3,5,6
To bring up the isometric view, click on the Isometric View icon in the right part of the
GUI (see snapshot below). The area is labeled A2. If the area disappears from the view,
select Utility Menu > Plot > Areas.
Now that we have gotten the hang of this business, we can create the remaining keypoints
and areas in our sleep (remember to wipe the drool off the keyboard):
K,7,0,L1/(2*NSY),H2
K,8,0,L1/(2*NSY),H3
K,9,W1/(2*NSX),L1/(2*NSY),H3
A,3,4,7,5
A,5,7,8,9
The geometry should look like this:

As discussed in the previous step, we'll first mesh the subsection AEFG that we just
created.
Set Mesh Size Along Edges
We'll use the previously-defined parameters NDIV_X, NDIV_Y and SIZE_Z to set the
mesh size along edges. The table below describes what each parameter is and the value
we have assigned to it.
Parameter Value Description

No. of divisions for edges along
NDIV_X 3
x
No. of divisions for edges along
NDIV_Y 6
y
Size of divisions for edges
SIZE_Z 5
along z
Edges along z are of two different lengths, as should be apparent from the geometry
display. For instance, the edge between keypoints #5 and #9 is smaller than that between
keypoints #3 and #5. By setting the element size rather than the number of divisions, we
can use the same parameter for both edge lengths.
Bring up the MeshTool: Main Menu > Preprocessor > MeshTool
We are going to continually use the MeshTool to generate the mesh. So resize and
rearrange the windows slightly so that you can access the MeshTool, ANSYS GUI, and
tutorial simultaneously.
If you have trouble selecting the correct line below, hold down the left mouse button
until the line is selected and then release the left button. If you want to deselect a line,
right-click to go into deselect mode, left-click on the line to be deselected and right-click
again to go back into select mode.
Under Size Controls and Lines, click Set. Pick all four lines in the x-direction. and click
OK in the pick menu. Enter NDIV_X for No. of element divisions and click Apply.
Next, pick all three lines in the y-direction and click OK in the pick menu. Enter
NDIV_Y for No. of element divisions and click Apply.
Last, pick all five lines in the z-direction and click OK in the pick menu. Enter SIZE_Z
for Element edge length. Make sure No. of element divisions is blank. Click OK.
Plot lines to see the element divisions along edges and check that they have been set
correctly: Utility Menu > Plot > Lines. If you made an error, repeat the above steps
before saving.
Generate Mesh for Plate
Recall that the plate and the horizontal and vertical stiffeners have different thicknesses
which have been assigned to different "real constant" sets. Jog your memory about which
thicknesses have been assigned to which "real constant" sets in Step 2.
We'll first mesh the plate using real constant set #1. Under Element Attributes in
MeshTool, click on Set. You will see that the element type and material number are
already set and the default real constant set is #1. These are the options we need for the
plate; so these don't need to be changed. Click Cancel.
Plot areas: Utility Menu > Plot > Areas
Click on Mesh in MeshTool. Pick area A1 and click OK. The resulting mesh for the plate
is displayed.
Generate Mesh for Vertical Stiffener
Under Element Attributes in MeshTool, click on Set. Set Real constant set number to 2
and click OK.
Click on Mesh in MeshTool. Pick area A2 and click OK. The resulting mesh for the plate
is displayed.
Generate Mesh for Horizontal Stiffener
Under Element Attributes, click on Set. Set Real constant set number to 3 and click OK.
Click on Mesh in MeshTool. Pick areas A3 and A4 and click OK.
Let's change the graphical display so that the geometry is displayed as a solid model with
the shell thicknesses shown. At the command prompt, type /eshape, 1 and then select
Utility Menu > Plot > Replot. When the /ESHAPE command in issued, ANSYS uses the
real constants associated with each element to determine its shape. (Note that commands
are not case-senstive.)
Do the relative thicknesses of different parts of the shell look correct? Feel free to
manipulate the graphical display to check this.
You can access different model views such as front, right, isometric etc. using the buttons
to the right of the graphics window. At the bottom of this row of icons is the Dynamic
Model Mode . Clicking this icon allows you to manipulate the model using the
mouse (alternatively, you can hold down the Ctrl key). To see the help page on this mode,
right-click on the icon and select Dialog Overview > Pan, Zoom, Rotate > Dynamic
Mode: Model.
Copy Mesh in x-Direction
Turn off the element shapes to make the display less cluttered by entering the following
commands:
/eshape,0
/replot
Copy areas: Main Menu > Preprocessor > Modeling > Copy > Areas
Pick A1, A3, and A4 and click OK. (Hold down the left mouse button until the correct
area is selected.)
Copy Areas menu: We want two copies including the original, so leave Number of copies
as 2. For X-offset, enter W1/(2*NSX), leave Y- and Z-offsets blank and click OK.
Since the associated keypoints are also copied over, you'll notice that there is a collection
of two coincident but separate keypoints along shared boundaries where the original and
copied entities overlap. It's key that we merge these coincident keypoints; we'll undertake
this after we are finished with the copy step.
Have the elements associated with the areas also been copied? Check this: Utility Menu >
Plot > Elements
As with keypoints (and lines too), there is a collection of two coincident but separate
nodes along the shared boundaries. Let's convince ourselves of this truism:
• Turn on node numbers (in addition to keypoint and area numbers) using Utility
Menu > PlotCtrls > Numbering
• Display elements and nodes together: Utility Menu > PlotCtrls > Multi-Plot Ctrls
> OK. Leave only Nodes and Elements turned on and click OK. Select Utility
Menu > Plot > Multi-Plots.
• Zoom into the bottom-center of the model as in the snaphsot below. At the bottom
of the symmetry plane, you should notice that there are actually two nodes, 2 and
172. Node 2 is associated with the original area and node 172 with the copy. We'll
merge coincident nodes a little later. (Note that your node numbers may be
different from mine since numbering can vary on different computer systems.)
Copy Mesh in y-Direction
Click on the Fit View and Isometric View icons in the rightmost part of the GUI.
Copy areas: Main Menu > Preprocessor > Modeling > Copy > Areas
Pick A1, A2, and A5 and click OK.
Copy Areas menu: Leave Number of copies as 2. For Y-offset, enter L1/(2*NSY); delete
X-offset; leave Z-offset blank and click OK.
Check the resulting mesh for sub-section ABCD: Utility Menu > Plot > Elements
Turn-off node numbers to reduce clutter.
Copy Sub-Section ABCD
How many copies of sub-section ABCD do we need to make in the x- and y-directions?
What are the values of X-Offset and Y-Offset in each case? Jot your answers down so that
you can check the values below.
Copy areas: Main Menu > Preprocessor > Modeling > Copy > Areas > Pick All
Copy Areas menu: Number of copies = NSX; X-offset = W1/NSX; Y- and Z-offsets
should be blank or zero. Click Apply.
Repeat copy in y-direction: Select Pick All again in the pick menu.
Copy Areas menu: Number of copies = NSY; Y-offset = L1/NSY; X- and Z-offsets should
be blank or zero. Click OK.
Check the resulting mesh: Utility Menu > Plot > Elements
Merge Coincident Entities
We saw earlier that the copy operations resulted in coincident nodes, keypoints, etc. along
shared boundaries. We need to merge these coincident items so that separate portions of
the model are combined into one. Otherwise, the various portions will live as independent
entities and loads applied to one portion will not be transferred to its neighbors. The
effect of the merge operation is shown schematically below.
View documentation about the merge utility: ANSYS Help > Contents > Modeling and
Meshing Guide > Number Control and Element Reordering > Number Control
This section has useful information about merging entities. It indicates that one can either
merge keypoints, nodes, etc. individually or merge all coincident entities at once (with
ANSYS ensuring that they are merged in the proper sequence). Since we'd like to palm
off as much work as possible to ANSYS, we'll use the latter option.
Select Main Menu> Preprocessor> Numbering Ctrls> Merge Items

For Type of item to be merged, select All and click OK. This will merge all coincident
entities.
Earlier we saw that nodes 2 and 172 were coincident. Zoom in on this region again with
node numbers turned on. What do you see?
If you performed the merge operation correctly, you'll see that the higher numbered node
has been deleted and the two coincident nodes have been replaced by a single node.
Compress Item Numbers
If you scroll down the help section on numbering that we've been peeking at, you'll find a
useful spiel on Compressing Item Numbers (section 11.1.2): "As you build your model,
you might, by deleting, clearing, merging, or performing other operations, create unused
slots in the numbering sequence for various items. These slots will remain empty for
some items (such as elements) but will be filled in for other items (such as keypoints) as
new items are created. To save data storage space (by eliminating otherwise empty
numbers) or to preserve desired sequencing (by forcing newly-created items to be
assigned numbers greater than those of existing items), you can eliminate these gaps by
"compressing" your numbering".
Check the range of node numbers before compressing the numbering: Utility Menu > List
> Nodes > OK
Compress numbering for all items (nodes, elements, etc.): Main Menu> Preprocessor>
Numbering Ctrls> Compress Numbers
For Item to be compressed , select All and click OK.
Re-check the range of node numbers after compressing. You should find that the range of
node numbers is reduced since there are now no gaps in the numbering.
Close MeshTool.

The boundary conditions given in the problem specification are summarized in the
schematic below. Keep in mind that the edge conditions need to be applied to the plate as
well as the stiffeners.
Apply Symmetry along AH
We'll apply this BC in two steps:
1. Select edges along AH

2. Apply symmetry condition to the selected edges
Adjust the display: Click on the Isometric View and Fit View icons in the rightmost part
of the GUI.
Utility Menu > PlotCtrls > Numbering: Turn off area and node numbering; turn on line
numbering.
Select all edges along AH: Utility Menu > Select > Entities
We are going to continually use the Select Entities menu to apply the BC's. So resize and
rearrange the windows slightly so that you can access this menu, the ANSYS GUI, and
the tutorial simultaneously.
Select Entities menu: Select Lines from the pull-down menu at the top. Select By
Location below that. Choose Y coordinates. Under Min,Max, enter 0. This will select all
lines whose centers lie at y=0. Make sure From Full is selected so that we are selecting
entities from the full model. Click Apply.
Check which lines have been selected: Select Entities menu >Plot. You should see that the
edges along AH have been selected.
Apply symmetry condition to the selected edges: Main Menu > Preprocessor > Loads >
Define Loads > Apply > Structural > Displacement > Symmetry B.C. > On Lines > Pick
All
This applies the symmetry condition to all the selected lines.
Select the entire model: Click Sele All and then Replot in the Select Entities menu. You
should see the S symbol along the edges where the symmetry BC has been applied.
Apply Symmetry along AJ
We'll first select all edges along AJ. Go back to Select Entities menu: Leave Lines and By
Location in place. Choose X coordinates. Under Min,Max, retain 0. This will select all
lines whose centers lie at x=0. Make sure From Full is selected. Click Apply.
Check which lines have been selected: Select Entities menu > Replot.You should see that
only the edges along AJ are currently selected.
Let's apply the symmety BC to these edges: Main Menu > Preprocessor > Loads > Define
Loads > Apply > Structural > Displacement > Symmetry B.C. > On Lines > Pick All
Select the entire model: Click Sele All and then Replot in the Select Entities menu.
Apply Clamped BC along HI
Now that we've gotten the hang of this boundary business, let's mop up Operation BC's in
short order.
Select Entities menu: Leave Lines, By Location and X coordinates selections in place.
Under Min,Max, enter W1. This will select all lines whose centers lie at x=W1. Make
sure From Full is selected. Click Apply.
Select Entities menu > Replot
Constrain all six nodal degrees of freedom (DOF) for the selected edges: Main Menu >
Preprocessor > Loads > Define Loads > Apply > Structural > Displacement > On Lines >
Pick All > All DOF > OK
The (cluttered) display will show that all six DOF's have been constrained.
Select Entities menu: Sele All and Replot

Apply Clamped BC along JI
Select Entities menu: Leave Lines, and By Location in place. Choose Y coordinates.
Under Min,Max, enter L1. This will select all lines whose centers lie at y=L1. Make sure
From Full is selected. Click Apply.
Select Entities menu > Replot
Constrain all six nodal degrees of freedom (DOF) for selected edges: Main Menu >
Preprocessor > Loads > Define Loads > Apply > Structural > Displacement > On Lines >
Pick All > All DOF > OK
Select Entities menu: Sele All and Replot
Apply Pressure on Plate
Utility Menu > PlotCtrls > Numbering: Turn off line numbering.
Choose areas corresponding to the plate: In the Select Entities menu, select Areas from
the pull-down menu at the top. Leave By Location below that. Choose Z coordinates
Under Min,Max, enter 0. This will select all areas whose centers lie at z=0. Make sure
From Full is selected. Click Apply.
Check which areas are currently selected: Select Entities menu > Replot
Apply a pressure of 0.05 N/mm2 on the plate in the +z direction: Main Menu >
Preprocessor > Loads > Define Loads > Apply > Structural > Pressure > On Areas > Pick
All
For VALUE, enter 0.05. Click OK.
ANSYS will mark the faces where the pressure is applied. Let's instead plot the applied
pressure using arrows to check its direction: Utility Menu > PlotCtrls > Symbols. For
Surface Load Symbols, select Pressures and under Show pres and convect as, select
Arrows. Click OK. Are the pressures acting in the right direction?
Select Entities menu: Sele All, Replot and Cancel. You should now see the entire model.
Review that all the BC's have been applied correctly.
Create Log File
In parametric studies to be undertaken later, we'll start with the log file containing the
commands from the first six steps that we just went through. To save this log file, select
Utility Menu > File > Write DB log file
Under Write Database Log to, enter the filename for the logfile: shell_step6.lgw. At the
bottom of this menu, select Write Essential Commands only. Click OK. Review
shell_step6.lgw by opening it in a text editor.
Step 7: Solve!
Enter Solution Module: Main Menu > Solution
Enter check in the Input window. If the problem has been set up correctly, there will be
no errors or warnings reported. You should see the following message in the Output
window: The analysis data was checked and no warnings or
errors were found.
ANSYS performs the solution and a window should pop up saying "Solution is done!".
Close this window.

Plot Deformed Shape
The Results Viewer provides a convenient way to review results.
Main Menu > General Postproc > Results Viewer

The title bar for the Results Viewer indicates that the results are being read from the
shell.rst file. Rearrange the windows slightly so that you can access the Results Viewer,
ANSYS GUI and tutorial simultaneously.
Under Choose a result item, select Nodal Solution > DOF Solution > Displaced structure.
Click on the Plot Results icon.
Hold down the Ctrl key and use the mouse to manipulate the model view; check that the
BC's and loads have been imposed correctly. The snapshot below shows one view that is
useful in checking the BC's. Are the symmetry and clamped conditions satisfied at the
corresponding edges for the facesheet as well as the stiffeners? Is the model deformation
as you'd expect for a uniform pressure on the facesheet in the +z direction?
The maximum displacement DMX=3.88 mm. Where do you think this occurs? We'll
check this in a minute.
Animate the defromation and obsessively recheck the BC's:
Results Viewer > Animate Results > Deformed Shape > OK > Def + undef edge > OK
Select Forward Only in the Animation Controller.

Plot w Displacement
In the Results Viewer, in place of Displaced structure, choose Nodal Solution > DOF
Solution > Z-Component of displacement. Click on the Plot Results icon.
The location of maximum deflection wmax is labeled MX. This occurs not at the facesheet
center but on the edge x=0, at approximately y=L1/3. As expected, the deflection is zero
along the clamped edges.
To save a copy of this plot, select Results Viewer > Image Capture > Capture to file >
OK.
For filename, enter w_contours. This creates the file w_contours.png in your working
directory. Check that you can open this file using your pet image viewer.
Deflection at Facesheet Center
To query the value of the deflection at the center of the facesheet, select the Query
Results icon in the Results Viewer.
Pick the node at X=0, Y=0. The coordinates of the picked node and the corresponding
value of UZ (i.e. w displacement) are displayed in the Query Subgrid Results menu. The
deflection at the center of the facesheet is 3.8 mm.
Cancel the Query Subgrid Results menu.

σxx for Facesheet
For clarity, let's first plot σxx for just the facesheet. Select the elements for the facesheet in
two steps:
1. Select areas corresponding to the facesheet.

2. Select elements attached to these previously selected areas.
Close the Results Viewer.
Utility Menu > Plot > Elements
Select Entities menu: Select Areas, By Location and Z coordinates. Under Min,Max,
enter 0. Make sure From Full is selected. Click Apply.
Following this, select Elements, Attached to, Areas and From Full. Click Apply and then
Replot. You should see that only elements for the facesheet are currently selected.
Main Menu > General Postproc > Results Viewer > Nodal Solution > Stress > X-
Component of stress
Click Plot Results icon.
Shell theory provides the stresses through the thickness of the shell. This is illustrated in
the help page for SHELL93 element. If, like me, you are looking at the top of the
facesheet, then the contours values correspond to σxx values for the top face. Check the σxx
value for the top face at the facesheet center:
Results Viewer > Query Results
Pick the node at X=0, Y=0. I get σxx=51 MPa at the center-top of the facesheet.
Hold down the Ctrl key and flip the model over so that you are looking at the bottom of
the facesheet as in the snapshot below. Now the contours values correspond to σxx values
for the facesheet bottom. Use Query Results to determine σxx at the center-bottom of the
facesheet. I get -56 MPa. What do you get? The negative sign indicates compression.
(For an enlarged view, click and maximize the browser window)
Thus, at the facesheet center, σxx varies from a tensile stress of 51 MPa at the top to a
compressive stress of 56 MPa at the bottom.
Using Query Results, I get σxx=116 MPa at the edge point x=W1, y=0 for the bottom of
the facesheet (see snapshot above). What's the value you finagled out of ANSYS?
Do these values look plausible? We'll investigate this in Step 9 when we compare the
center and edge stress values to plate theory.
Cancel the Query Subgrid Results menu.
σyy for Facesheet
Results Viewer > Nodal Solution > Stress > Y-Component of stress
Click Plot Results icon. The snapshot below shows the σyy contours.
Using Query Results, I get the following values for the bottom of the facesheet (see
snapshot above):
1. At the center, σyy= -28 MPa.

2. At the clamped edge location (x=0, y=L1), σyy= 77 MPa.
What are your corresponding values?
σxx for Stiffeners
Currently, the facesheet is selected and the stiffeners are unselected. To plot stress
contours for the stiffeners, we'll unselect the facesheet and select the stiffeners i.e. reverse
the selection. This can be done using the Invert operation:
Select Entities menu> Invert

Select Entities menu> Replot
(In MS-Windows, you can cycle through windows on the desktop by holding down the
Alt key and repeatedly pressing the Tab key. In case the Select Entities menu has
disappeared, exit the Results Viewer, bring up the Select Entities menu and re-enter the
Results Viewer.)
Results Viewer > Nodal Solution > Stress > X-Component of stress
Manipulate the view so that you are looking down on the top of the stiffeners as in the
snapshot below. You might have to flip the model over.
The σxx values for the stiffeners in the y-direction is virtually zero; confirm this using
Query Results. This means that, as expected, the load in the x-direction is carried by the
stiffeners in that direction.
Let's determine σxx values at the top of the x-stiffener closest to the center; we'll compare
these values to plate theory in Step 9. Using Query Results, I get the following values at
the top of this stiffener (see snapshot above):
1. At (x=0, y=L1/6), σxx= 312 MPa.

2. At the clamped edge location (x=W1, y=L1/6), σxx= -653 MPa.
σyy for Stiffeners
Results Viewer > Nodal Solution > Stress > Y-Component of stress
The σyy values for the stiffeners in the x-direction is virtually zero; confirm this using
Query Results. This means that, as expected, the load in the y-direction is carried by the
stiffeners in that direction.
Let's determine σyy values at the top of the y-stiffener closest to the center which we'll
compare to plate theory in Step 9. Using Query Results, I get the following values at the
top of the stiffener (see snapshot above):
1. At (x=W1/4, y=0), σyy= 38 MPa.

2. At the clamped edge location (x=W1/4, y=L1), σyy= -300 MPa.


We checked in the previous step that the BC's have been applied correctly and the
deflection looks plausible.
Comparison With Plate Theory
An FEA analyst displays his mettle by going head-to-head with theory. The theoretical
solution for a clamped plate subjected to pressure is presented by Timoshenko and
Woinowsky-Krieger, page 202. This solution can be modified to account for the presence
of stiffeners using the parallel axis theorem. This calculation and the resulting stress and
displacement values have been generously provided by Prof. Alan Zehnder and are
sumarized in this pdf document. Do take the time to review this document.
The head-to-head comparison of the analytical values with the FEA values from Step 8 at
the center of the structure is presented in the following table.
Entity Location FEA Theory

w 3.8 mm 3.6 mm
σxx Bottom -56 MPa -50 MPa
σxx Top 312 MPa 350 MPa
σyy Bottom -28 MPa -20 MPa
σyy Top 38 MPa 105 MPa
The deflection at the center is about 8% larger than the theoretical value due to shear
deformation in the FEA model that is not accounted for in the analytical result.
Correlation of stresses in the center is reasonably good. It might improve if solution for
anisotropic plate were used. Also, the stiffeners are not at the centerline of the model,
while maximum stresses in theory are calculated at the center.
The head-to-head comparison of the edge stresses is given in the following table.
Entity Location FEA Theory
σxx Bottom 116 MPa 100 MPa

σxx Top -653 MPa -704 MPa
σyy Bottom 77 MPa 78 MPa
σyy Top -300 MPa -403 MPa
There is good correlation of the edge stress on the bottom of facesheet but the edge stress
at the top of the stiffeners is overestimated by the theory. This is possibly due to the
stiffeners not being at the centerline of the model while the maximum stresses in theory
are calculated at the center.
Consider the semi-monocoque shell problem analyzed in a previous tutorial. Redo the
problem changing only the number of stiffeners in the x-direction. For the quarter-plate,
increase the number of x-stiffeners to 3 as shown below; previously, we had 2. Compare
the displacement and stress values for the new and old cases and comment on the
differences and/or similarities.
We'll play smart and avoid plodding through the solution procedure from scratch by using
ANSYS capabilities for performing parametric studies.
Step 1: Create input file

Generate Clean Version of Log File
Every action taken in the ANSYS GUI has a corresponding text command that is stored
in the log file. At the end of step 6 for the original semi-monocoque shell problem, you
were asked to create the log file for steps 1-6 by issuing the command Utility Menu >
File > Write DB log file. We will create an input file from this log file. Copy this log file
to your working folder.
Your log file will contain the mis-steps you made while solving the problem. You don't
want these mis-steps to be included in your input file since ANSYS will religiously run
through these everytime you execute the input file. There are two ways around this:
1. You can go in and edit the log file to remove the mistakes. This takes an intimate
familiarity with ANSYS commands and is recommended only for the power user.
2. You can start from scratch and go through steps 1-6 again being careful not to
make any mistakes. The resulting log file will be a clean version without mis-
steps.
Generate a clean version of the log file shell_step6.lgw for steps 1-6. If you don't have the
log file, I'll be nice and give it to you (right-click on this link to download).
Generate Input File from Log File
In your working folder, make a copy of the log file shell_step6.lgw and call it
shell_step6.inp. The inp extension signifies that it is an input file. Bring up your pet text
editor and load in shell_step6.inp. The top several lines, along with annotations, are
shown below:
You can run ANSYS in the interactive mode or batch mode (in which you do not use the
GUI). By default, ANSYS assumes you'll be running in batch mode; so it'll put a couple
of batch-mode commands at the top of your log file. Since we are going to use the input
file in the interactive mode, delete the first two commands above (/BATCH and /input)
that pertain to the batch mode.
To see what the KEYW command does, type help,KEYW at the command prompt. At the
bottom of the KEYW help page, you can see that this command is equivalent to the menu
selection Main Menu > Preferences.
The *SET command above is used to specify parameter values. To redo the original
problem with a new set of parameter values, you just change the values of appropriate
parameters and read in the input file. We'll do this shortly. As you can imagine, this is an
efficient way to explore the effect of key parameters on your design.
In the snippet above, you enter the preprocessor module using the /PREP7 command; this
is equivalent to selecting Main Menu>Preprocessor in the GUI. Once you are in the
Preprocessor, you can access its utilities such as specifying the element type (ET
command). A key thing to remember is that you have to be in the appropriate module
(Preprocessor, Postprocessor, etc) to access the corresponding utilities. If you are, say,in
the Postprocessor module and try to access a Preprocessor command such as ET,
ANSYS won't recognize the command. The Utility menu commands can be accessed
from any module.
Go to Step 2: Modify and read input file
Step 2: Modify and read input file

Modify Input File
We need to change the number of stiffeners in the x-direction. In the input file, look for
the line where the value of NSX is specified. Set NSX=3 as shown below and save the
input file.
Read Input File
Create a folder called shell2 at a convenient location. Start ANSYS:
... > ANSYS 10.0 > ANSYS Product Launcher
Enter the location of the folder shell2 that you just created as your Working directory by
browsing to it.
Enter shell2 as your Initial jobname. Click on Run.
Resize the ANSYS windows as shown in this snapshot so that you can read instructions
in your browser window and implement them in ANSYS.
Utility Menu > File > Read Input from
Select the shell_step6.inp file and click OK. ANSYS will run through the commands in
shell_step6.inp i.e. repeat steps 1-6 with NSX=3.
Plot elements and select the isometric view.

We see that there is a problem with the resulting geometry. There is a part of the
geometry that is not copied in the y-direction. Why is this so? We'll look into this in just a
minute.
Let's check what BC's have been applied.
Utility Menu > PlotCtrls > Symbols
Symbols menu: For Boundary condition symbol, select All Applied BCs. For Surface
Load Symbols, select Pressures and under Show pres and convect as, select Arrows.
Click OK.
We see that the symmetry and clamped BC's haven't been applied at the correct locations.
The pressure has been applied only over part of the facesheet. We'll fix these mistakes
below.
Fix Geometry
Recall that originally we made two copies of subsection ABCD. Now we are making
three copies of ABCD. However, the input file still insists on making only two copies;
this is inherited from the original case. Let's dig a little further into this mystery and see
how we can solve it.
When we made the copies in the y-direction, we selected the components to copy using
"Pick All" in the pick menu. Go to near the end of your input file and find the
corresponding statement:
AGEN,NSY,P51X, , , ,L1/NSY, , ,0
The P51X in the above statement corresponds to our "Pick All" selection. It turns out that
when we increase the number of components to be selected, "Pick All" doesn't pick up
the *&$$#$#** additional components (pardon my language). We can get around this by
using "ALL" instead of "Pick All" in the command. Modify the AGEN statement in the
input file as follows:
AGEN,NSY,ALL, , , ,L1/NSY, , ,0
Save the input file. This will fix the problem with the geometry.
Fix BC's
Recall that, while applying the BC's, we selected the approporiate subset of components
and applied the BC's to the selected components using "Pick All" in the pick menu. As
above, "Pick All" mangles the selection when we change the number of components. We
can again fix this by using "ALL" instead of "Pick All" in the BC commands.
In your input file, you'll find two instances of the statement:
DL,P51X, ,SYMM
This corresponds to the application of the symmetry condition along the appropriate
edges. Modify this to
DL,ALL, ,SYMM
Similarly, you'll find two instances of the statement:
DL,P51X, ,ALL,
This corresponds to the application of the clamped condition along the appropriate edges.
The "ALL" in the above statement implies that we are constraining all degrees of
freedom at the clamped edges. Modify this to
DL,ALL, ,ALL,
At the very end of your input file, you'll see the statement that imposes a pressure on the
faceplate:
SFA,P51X,1,PRES,0.05
You know the routine now; modify this to
SFA,ALL,1,PRES,0.05
Save the input file.
Re-read Input File

Main Menu > File > Clear & Start New > OK
Utility Menu > File > Read Input from > shell_step6.inp > OK
Select the shell_step6.inp file and click OK. Plot elements and select the isometric view.
Did ANSYS get it right this time?
Check that the BC's have been applied correctly.

Utility Menu > PlotCtrls > Symbols
Symbols menu: For Boundary condition symbol, select All Applied BCs. For Surface
Load Symbols, select Pressures and under Show pres and convect as, select Arrows.
Click OK.
Zoom into the sides of the structure and carefully check the BC's.
Now repeat steps 7-9 in the original tutorial and compare the results for NSX=2 and 3.
A tip from a battle-hardened user: you have to be careful about recycling the log file
when the topology of the geometry changes. For instance, if you change H2 and H3 such
that the y-stiffeners become wider than the x-stiffeners, the topology changes
significantly. In this case, unless you are a power user, it might be advisable to use the log
file only for steps 1-3 (as you look through the log file, you should be able to hone in on
where step 3 ends and step 4 begins).Then, go through steps 4-6 in the GUI and generate
clean new lgw/input files.
Consider the square plate of uniform thickness with a circular hole with dimensions
shown in the figure below. The plate is uniaxially loaded with a uniform pressure p=1
MPa. In addition, the plate is made of a Glass/Epoxy composite material with the fibers
oriented in same direction as the applied load. The material properties are as follows:
Young's modulus in the fiber direction Ex = 59.3 GPa

Young's modulus in the transverse direction Ey = 22 GPa
In-plane shear modulus Gxy = 8.96 GPa
Major Poisson's ratio nxy = 0.26
Minor Poisson's ratio nyx= 0.047
The circumferential stress concentration on the boundary of the hole is to be determined

using ANSYS.
Step 1: Create Command Log file

ANSYS records every command it executes, whether typed in directly or executed by a
function in the Graphical User Interface (GUI), in two places: the session log file
(Jobname.log) and the internal database command log. In the case of the Plate with a
Hole tutorial, for example, all the commands used to generate the solution were recorded
in the session log file (plate.log) and in the database log.
Given that the problem specification for the Plate with a Hole tutorial is very similar to
the problem we are solving, we will create a command log/input file based on the
commands used to solve the Plate with a Hole tutorial and we will modify these
commands to solve our problem. For this tutorial, we will use the database log (vs the
session log file) created in the Plate with a Hole tutorial as a starting point. This option
will allow us to include only essential commands as part of the command log file.
After completing the Plate with a Hole tutorial, create the Database log file.
Utility Menu > File > Write DB log file
This brings up the Write Database Log window. Enter plate2 under Write Database Log
to. This is the name of the log/input file we will modify. Select the Write essential
commands only option at the bottom, so that only essential commands are included. Click
OK.
Search for the plate2.lwg file in the directory you specified and open it using notepad.
Then save this file as plate2.txt. This is the log/input file we will modify. The list of
commands generated is shown below.
/BATCH
/input,menust,tmp,'',,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,1
WPSTYLE,,,,,,,,0
/NOPR
/PMETH,OFF,0
KEYW,PR_SET,1
KEYW,PR_STRUC,1
KEYW,PR_THERM,0
KEYW,PR_FLUID,0
KEYW,PR_ELMAG,0
KEYW,MAGNOD,0
KEYW,MAGEDG,0
KEYW,MAGHFE,0
KEYW,MAGELC,0
KEYW,PR_MULTI,0
KEYW,PR_CFD,0
*SET,a,10e-3
*SET,r,7e-3
*SET,p,1e6
*SET,E,1e13
*SET,nu,0.3
/PREP7
ET,1,PLANE42
MPTEMP,,,,,,,,
MPTEMP,1,0
MPDATA,EX,1,,E
MPDATA,PRXY,1,,nu
RECTNG,0,a,0,a,
CYL4,0,0,0,0,r,90
ASBA,1,2
SMRT,5
MSHAPE,0,2D
MSHKEY,0
CM,_Y,AREA
ASEL,,,,3
CM,_Y1,AREA
CHKMSH,'AREA'
CMSEL,S,_Y
AMESH,_Y1
CMDELE,_Y
CMDELE,_Y1
CMDELE,_Y2
FLST,2,2,4,ORDE,2
FITEM,2,8
FITEM,2,9
DL,P51X,,SYMM
FLST,2,1,4,ORDE,1
FITEM,2,5
SFL,P51X,PRES,p,
FINISH
/SOL
SOLVE
FINISH
We can now use this file as a starting point. We will modify these commands to solve our
problem.
Step 2: Modify Log file - part1

Delete Special Commands
We'll start by deleting unnecessary commands. ANSYS generates certain commands

which are either generated by default or intended for use in Batch mode (i.e. no user
interface). Since we are not going be working in batch mode, we will ignore the
following commands. Delete the following commands:
/BATCH
/input,menust,tmp,'',,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,1
WPSTYLE,,,,,,,,0
/NOPR
/PMETH,OFF,0
The next eleven commands in the original input file start with KEYW. This set of
commands customizes the graphical user interface. Since we are not going be using the
graphical user interface, we'll ignore these commands. Delete commands that start with
KEYW.
Modify Specified Parameters
We'll now modify the parameters specified in the Plate with a Hole tutorial. We'll do so
by modifying the commands that start with *SET. The scalar parameters created as part
of the Plate with a Hole tutorial are the plate half-width a, hole radius r, applied pressure
p, and material properties E and n. We will redefine these parameters and add new ones to
match the geometry and material properties of our problem:
*SET,a,60e-3
*SET,r,7e-3
*SET,p,1e6
*SET,E1,59.3e9
*SET,E2,22e9
*SET,G12,8.96e9
*SET,nu21,0.047
Note that the plate half-width a changed from 10e-3 to 60e-3 and the hole radius r
remained unchanged. Also, the material properties were modified to include the
orthotropic material properties: Young's modulus in the fiber direction E1=Ex=59.3GPa,
Young's modulus in the transverse direction E2=Ey=22 GPa, in-plane shear modulus
G12=Gxy =8.9GPa and minor Poisson ratio nu21=0.047.
At this point, the modified input file should be as follows:
/Title, Orthotropic Plate with a Hole

*SET,a,60e-3
*SET,r,7e-3
*SET,p,1e6
*SET,E1,59.3e9
*SET,E2,22e9
*SET,G12,8.96e9
*SET,nu21,0.047
Note that the /Title, Orthotropic Plate with a Hole command has been added. This
command allows us to add a title which will be shown in the various user interface
windows.
Before specifying the element type, we need to enter the model creator preprocessor. This
is equivalent to entering the preprocessor tab in the ANSYS Main Menu. The following
command, which was part of the original input file, accomplishes this task and we'll keep
it for our analysis.
/PREP7
The ET command defines the element type. For the Plate with a Hole tutorial, we used
PLANE42, which is a 4-node 2D structural solid element. For this tutorial, we will use
PLANE82, which is a 8-node 2-D structural solid element.
ET,1,PLANE82
Specify Material Properties
The next set of commands in the original file, specify the material properties by using
MPTEMP and MPDATA. For our analysis, however, we will use the MP command
instead. We'll also use the previously defined parameters.
MP,EX,1,E1
MP,EY,1,E2
MP,NUXY,1,NU21
MP,GXY,1,G12
Note that we have added two more commands: MP,EY,1,E2 and MP,GXY,1,G12. These
define the Young's modulus in the transverse direction and the in-plane shear modulus,
respectively. Also, note that we have specified the minor Poisson ratio rather than the
major Poisson ratio by using the MP,NUXY command.
Create Geometry
The next set of commands in the original file, generate the geometry by creating a square
area of side a and then subtracting a circular sector of radius r. Since the geometry we
want to generate is the same, we will use the same set of commands. In addition, since
the geometry, material properties and loading of our problem are also all symmetric with
respect to the horizontal and vertical centerlines, we will model only a quarter of the
plate.
RECTNG,0,a,0,a,
CYL4,0,0,0,0,r,90
ASBA,1,2
Note that the list of commands is the same. The fact that we changed the value for the
plate half-width when we modified the parameters, allows us to keep the same list of
commands to create the desired geometry.
At this point, the modified log file should be as follows:

*SET,a,60e-3
*SET,r,7e-3
*SET,p,1e6
*SET,E1,59.3e9
*SET,E2,22e9
*SET,G12,8.96e9
*SET,nu21,0.047
/PREP7
ET,1,PLANE82
MP,EX,1,E1
MP,EY,1,E2
MP,NUXY,1,NU21
MP,GXY,1,G12
RECTNG,0,a,0,a,
CYL4,0,0,0,0,r,90
ASBA,1,2
Verify Progress
Let's verify the list of commands we created have so far. To do this, you will need to start
a new ANSYS session. Restart ANSYS or go to Utility Menu > File > Clear & Start
New and select Do not read file (if you have been working on another file).
Copy the list of commands we have generated so far and paste them in the ANSYS
Command Input window.
The list of commands will generate the following.
Next, we will continue to modify the original file to mesh the areas and specify boundary
conditions.
Step 3: Modify Log file - part2

Specify Line Divisions and Spacing Ratio
Since we want to determine the stress concentration on the edge of the hole, we want to
create a mesh that gets finer in the region near the hole. To do this we'll use the LESIZE
command, which defines the number of divisions and spacing ratio of selected lines.
Recall that the spacing ratio parameter is used to control mesh grading. If positive, the
spacing ratio is the ratio of the last division size to first division size.
For this problem, we will use grading on the left and bottom lines of the geometry, which
correspond to lines 9 and 8 respectively. Since both lines are the same length, we will use
the same spacing ratio=0.25. We will also use 50 divisions for both lines.
LESIZE,8,,,50,0.25,,,,0
LESIZE,9,,,50,0.25,,,,0
We will also divide the line that defines the hole into 40 divisions. In this case, we'll not
specify the spacing ratio. This will be defaulted to one (no mesh grading).
LESIZE,5,,,40,,,,,,0
Mesh Geometry
The next twelve commands in the original file generate the mesh.
The first command is SMRT,5. This command sets the overall element size level for
meshing. Recall that we used the SmartSize option and set the overall element size to 5 in
the Plate with a Hole tutorial. For our problem, we will use the same command, but we
will change the element size to 1.
SMRT,1
The next two commands specify the element shape to be used for meshing (MSHAPE)
and specify whether free meshing or mapped meshing should be used (MSHKEY). We
will use the same commands for our analysis.
MSHAPE,0,2D
MSHKEY,0
The next nine commands create the mesh, by selecting and grouping the area to be
meshed into a component and then meshing the selected component (area in this case).
However, since we already know the area number we want to mesh (3), we can replace
these nine commands with a single command to mesh the geometry.
AMESH,3
Specify Boundary Conditions
We will now modify the next seven commands to specify the boundary conditions of our
problem.
The next four commands in the original file, specify symmetry boundary conditions
along lines 8 and 9 of the original Plate with a Hole geometry. As in the case of the
meshing, we can replace these four commands with two commands since we already
know the lines (8 and 9) where the symmetry boundary conditions are to be applied.
DL,8,3,SYMM
DL,9,3,SYMM
The next three commands in the original file, apply a pressure load to line 5, which is the
line that defines the hole. Again, we can replace these three commands with a single
command since we already know the line (2) where the pressure is to be applied. Note
that the pressure is now applied to line 2, which is the vertical line located on the right
side of the area.
SFL,2,PRES,-p,
Also note that the sign of the pressure changed from + to -. This is due to the pressure
being applied away from the area and not towards the area.
At this point the modified log file should be as follows:

*SET,a,60e-3
*SET,r,7e-3
*SET,p,1e6
*SET,E1,59.3e9
*SET,E2,22e9
*SET,G12,8.96e9
*SET,nu21,0.047
/PREP7
ET,1,PLANE82
MP,EX,1,E1
MP,EY,1,E2
MP,NUXY,1,NU21
MP,GXY,1,G12
RECTNG,0,a,0,a,
CYL4,0,0,0,0,r,90
ASBA,1,2
LESIZE,8,,,50,0.25,,,,0
LESIZE,9,,,50,0.25,,,,0
LESIZE,5,,,40,,,,,,0
SMRT,1
MSHAPE,0,2D
MSHKEY,0
AMESH,3
DL,8,3,SYMM
DL,9,3,SYMM
SFL,2,PRES,-p,
Verify Progress
Let's verify the commands we have created so far. To do this, start a new ANSYS session.
Restart ANSYS or go to Utility Menu > File > Clear & Start New and select Do not
read file.
Command Input window. The list of commands will generate the following:
Step 4: Solve!
Before solving, we need to exit the model creator preprocessor (/PREP7). To do this we
will use command FINISH, which is also part of the original file.
FINISH
We can now enter solution module and solve:
/SOL
SOLVE
FINISH
This is equivalent to entering the solution tab in the ANSYS Main Menu and solving the
current LS.
At this point, the modified log file should be as follows:

*SET,a,60e-3
*SET,r,7e-3
*SET,p,1e6
*SET,E1,59.3e9
*SET,E2,22e9
*SET,G12,8.96e9
*SET,nu21,0.047
/PREP7
ET,1,PLANE82
MP,EX,1,E1
MP,EY,1,E2
MP,NUXY,1,NU21
MP,GXY,1,G12
RECTNG,0,a,0,a,
CYL4,0,0,0,0,r,90
ASBA,1,2
LESIZE,8,,,50,0.25,,,,0
LESIZE,9,,,50,0.25,,,,0
LESIZE,5,,,40,,,,,,0
SMRT,1
MSHAPE,0,2D
MSHKEY,0
AMESH,3
DL,8,3,SYMM
DL,9,3,SYMM
SFL,2,PRES,-p,
FINISH
/SOL
SOLVE
FINISH
Verify Progress
Let's verify that a solution is generated with the list of commands we have created so far.
Again, restart ANSYS or go to Utility Menu > File > Clear & Start New and select Do
not read file.
Command Input window. ANSYS performs the solution and a yellow window should pop
up saying "Solution is done!".

In order to access the results, we need to enter the database results postprocessor. This is
equivalent to entering the postprocessing module.
/POST1
To determine the stress concentration along the hole, we will first select the nodes
attached to the line that defines the hole and then obtain the value of the circumferential
stress at each of these nodes.
Modify Output Options
Since we are interested in obtaining the circumferential stress, we need to change the
options for output of results from cartesian to cylindrical.
RSYS,1
Select Lines and Nodes
We'll use select logic to first select the line that defines the hole (5) and then the nodes
attached to this line.
LSEL,S,LINE,,5
NSLL,,1
Sort Nodal Data
If we were to list the nodal results now, we will obtain a list of the circumferential
stresses as a function of the node number. However, we are interested in the
circumferential stress as a function of the angle (0 to 90 deg). Since the y coordinate of
the nodes along the hole increases as the angle increases, to obtain the circumferential
stress as a function of the angle we can sort the results based on the y coordinate of the
nodes.
NSORT,LOC,Y,1,,
Recall that in step 3, we divided the line that defines the hole into 40 elements and that
the elements were equally spaced (no grading). Therefore, since we know that the angle
varies from 0 to 90 deg and that the line was divided into 40 elements, we can determine
the angle at each node.
List Circumferential Stress
The last step is to list the results.
PRNSOL,S,COMP
This command generates a list containing the X,Y,Z,XY, YZ, and XZ stress components
at each node. Since we changed the options for output of results from cartesian to
cylindrical, the circumferential stress is shown in the second column (Y component).
The modified and final log file should be as follows:

*SET,a,60e-3
*SET,r,7e-3
*SET,p,1e6
*SET,E1,59.3e9
*SET,E2,22e9
*SET,G12,8.96e9
*SET,nu21,0.047
/PREP7
ET,1,PLANE82
MP,EX,1,E1
MP,EY,1,E2
MP,NUXY,1,NU21
MP,GXY,1,G12
RECTNG,0,a,0,a,
CYL4,0,0,0,0,r,90
ASBA,1,2
LESIZE,8,,,50,0.25,,,,0
LESIZE,9,,,50,0.25,,,,0
LESIZE,5,,,40,,,,,,0
SMRT,1
MSHAPE,0,2D
MSHKEY,0
AMESH,3
DL,8,3,SYMM
DL,9,3,SYMM
SFL,2,PRES,-p,
FINISH
/SOL
SOLVE
FINISH
/POST1
RSYS,1
LSEL,S,LINE,,5
NSLL,,1
NSORT,LOC,Y,1,,
PRNSOL,S,COMP
Verify Progress
Restart ANSYS or go to Utility Menu > File > Clear & Start New and select Do not
read file.
Copy the list of commands and paste them in the ANSYS Command Input window. The
list of commands will generate the following:
Analysis of Results
We will use the theoretical solution developed by Greszczuk, L.B (see reference below)
to verify the results obtained with ANSYS. To do this, we need to import the results
obtained into Excel or a similar application.
After the solution is performed, save the list generated (PRPATH command window). Go
to File > Save as. Enter plate2.lis as the file name. Open this file using Excel or a similar
application and delete all columns except the SY column (circumferential stress). You
will need to create a new column to specify the angle. Recall that the angle at each node
can be determined based on the number of divisions (90deg/40div=2.25 increments). The
file will look like this:
Create a text file (results.txt) with these results. Use Matlab or a similar application to
import/read the results.txt file and plot them along with the theoretical solution. Refer to
the reference below for a detailed description of the theoretical solution and associated
equations.
As we can see, the solution obtained with ANSYS compares well with the theoretical
solution. The highest variation between the theoretical solution and the results obtained
with ANSYS occurs at 90 deg. At this angle, the value obtained with ANSYS varies by
less than 3% with respect to the theoretical value.
Consider two semicircular disks made of elastic material which are pressed together by
forces P as shown in the figure below. The disks are initially in contact at a single point.
The principal radii of curvature of the surface of the upper disk at the point of contact are
R1 and R1'. Likewise, R2 and R2' are the principal radii of curvature of the surface of the
lower disk at the point of contact. The line of action of force P lies along the axis that
passes through the centers of curvature of the disks and through the point of contact.
Figure taken from p. 590 of Boresi et al.
The intersection of the planes in which the radii R1 and R2 (or R1' and R2') lie form an
angle a as shown in the figure below. Assume that there is no tendency for one disk to
slide with respect to the other and, therefore, no friction force is present. Both disks are
made of steel (E1=E2=200 GPa and n1=n2=0.29). The radii of curvature are R1=60mm,
R1'=130mm, R2=80mm, R2'=200mm. The angle a=0o and the applied force P=4.5kN. The
maximum principal stress and approach (total distance through which the two disks move
towards each other as a result of force P) are to be determined using ANSYS. This
problem is a modified version of the problem presented in section 17.7, p. 607-608 of
Boresi et al.
Figure taken from p. 591 of Boresi et al.

Create a folder
Create a folder called contact at a convenient location. We'll use this folder to store files
Start ANSYS
Start > Programs > ANSYS 7.1 > Configure ANSYS Classic
Enter the location of folder contact as your Working directory.
Specify diskscontact as your Initial jobname. Click on Run.
Resize the ANSYS windows as shown in this screen arrangement so that you can read
instructions in the browser window and implement them in ANSYS.
Set Preferences

session.
Enter Parameters
For convenience, we'll create scalar parameters corresponding to the principal radii of
curvature of the upper and lower disks R1, R1', R2 and R2', load p, material properties E,
n=nu and the initial interference between the disks, inter.
In static analysis, rigid body motion occurs when a body is not sufficiently restrained. As
a result, impractical and excessively large displacements may occur. Furthermore, in
problems where rigid body motions are constrained only by the presence of contact, it is
critical to ensure that the bodies (and contact pairs) are in contact in the initial geometry.
In other words, you want to build your model so that the bodies (and contact pairs) are
"just touching." The definition of initial contact is perhaps the most important aspect of
building a contact analysis model. For this reason, we will define a scalar parameter
(inter) to specify the amount of initial interference between the disks and build the
geometry so that the disks are just touching.
Enter the parameter value for R1:

R1=60
Click Accept.
Similarly, enter the other parameter values and click Accept after each.
R1p=130
R2=80
R2p=200
inter=1e-5
p=4500
E=2e5
nu=0.29
Close the Scalar Parameters window. Note that we have specified the radii in mm, the
load p in N and the Young's modulus in N/mm2. Therefore, the displacement results we
obtain will be in mm and the stresses in N/mm2.
the problem in ANSYS. This is also helpful in carrying out parametric studies where one
looks at the effect of changing a parameter.

We will use SOLID92 elements to mesh the upper and lower disks. This is a 3D 10-Node
Tetrahedral Structural Solid element.
This brings up the Library of Element Types menu. Select Structural Solid in the left field
and Tet 10node 92 in the right field. Click OK.
In contact problems, one needs to identify the surfaces that are expected to come into
contact, and group them into either "contact" surfaces or "target" surfaces. There are
various guidelines for defining contact and target surfaces. One of them is size. If one
surface is larger than the other surface, the larger surface should be the target surface.
For our problem, there are two surfaces that are expected to come into contact. These are
the curved areas that are initially in contact at the point of contact. We will define the
curved surface of the lower disk to be the target surface (larger of the two). As a result,
the curved surface of the upper disk will be the contact surface.
Once the contact and target surfaces are identified, the next step is to select the contact
and target elements. The contact elements will overlay the solid elements (SOLID92) and
will describe the boundary of the upper disk (contact surface) that is expected to come
into contact with the lower disk (target surface). Think of the contact elements as the skin
of the surface that is expected to come into contact. Let's take a look at the different
elements available.
Select the Index tab and type in contact analysis as the keyword. Double-click on Contact
analysis which should be the first topic listed. This brings up the Chapter 10 Contact help
page. Click on ANSYS Contact Capabilities which is the third topic from the top. Note
that ANSYS supports three types of contact models: node-to-node, node-to-surface, and
surface-to surface. Each type of model uses a different set of contact elements. Table 10.1
summarizes the different elements available.
For our problem, the initial interaction between the disks is at a point. However, we
expect the surfaces of the disks to come into contact once the force is applied. If you read
the ANSYS Contact Capabilities help page, you will find that CONTA175 is one of the
node-to-surface contact elements that can be used to represent contact between a node
and a surface or between two surfaces. This element also supports 3-D structural contact
analysis, as shown in the Contact Capabilities table (10.1), and we'll use it to mesh the
contact surface.
For the target surface, we can use either TARGE169 or TARGE170 elements. Since
TARGE169 elements support 2-D analysis and TARGE170 support 3-D analysis, we will
use TARGE170 elements to mesh the target surface.
This brings up the Library of Element Types menu, select Contact in the left field and 3-
D target 170 in the right field. Click Apply.
Select Contact in the left field and pt-to-surf 175 in the right field. Click OK.

defined in the previous step.
Select SOLID92 and click OK. You should get a note "The SOLID92 element type does
not require real constants". Take a look at the help pages for SOLID92, under SOLID92
Input Summary, and you will find that there are no real constants to be specified for this
element. Close the warning message.
Now, let's look at the real constants for TARGE170. Click on Add. Select TARGE170 and
click OK.
Real constants R1 and R2 define the geometry of the target elements. For contact
problems, it is recommended to first try using the default settings, and then change them
if difficulties are encountered or the analysis has special situations. ANSYS will default
R1 and R2 to zero once the target elements are generated. We'll use the default values for
our analysis. Click Cancel.
Now, let's look at the real constants for CONTA175. Click on Add, select CONTA175 and
click OK.
As you can see, ANSYS uses several real constants to control contact behavior. As in the
previous case, we'll use the default values set by ANSYS for our analysis. Refer to the
help page for CONTA175, for a detailed description of the real constants for this element.
Note that for some of the real constants, such as FKN and FTOLN, you can specify either
a positive or a negative value. ANSYS interprets a positive value as a scaling factor and a
negative value as the absolute value.
Click Cancel and then Close the Real Constants menu.
Save your work
Toolbar > SAVE_DB
Go to Step 3: Specify material properties

This brings up the Define Material Model Behavior menu. Double-click on Structural,
Linear, Elastic, and Isotropic.
We'll use the previously defined parameter names to specify the material properties. Enter
E for Young's modulus EX, nu for Poisson's Ratio PRXY. Click OK.

When you enter parameter names, ANSYS substitutes the corresponding parameter
values as soon as you click OK or Apply.
This completes the specification of Material Model Number 1. Close the Define Material
Model Behavior menu.
Save your work
Toolbar > SAVE_DB

Because of the inherent symmetry of the model, we'll perform the analysis on a quarter of
the volumes only. Recall that a=0 (i.e. angle between the planes in which radii R1 and R2
lie is zero). As a result, the upper and lower volume have the same orientation, when
viewed from the top.
We'll generate the volumes by first creating two base areas and then rotating them about
an axis/line. The base area for the upper disk is shown in purple and the axis of rotation in
red in the figure below.
We will define the origin of the coordinate system to be at the point of contact.
Create Keypoints
In order to build the geometry so that the disks are just touching, we will use scalar
parameter inter. We'll specify all the keypoints from which the upper base area will be
generated, to be displaced in the negative y direction by a distance inter.
Enter the keypoint locations:
Keypoint 1: X=0, Y=0, Z=0, Click Apply.
Keypoint 2: X=R2, Y=-R2, Z=0, Click Apply.
Keypoint 3: X=R2, Y=-R2p, Z=0, Click Apply.
Keypoint 4: X=0, Y=-R2p, Z=0, Click Apply.
Keypoint 5: X=0, Y=-inter, Z=0, Click Apply.
Keypoint 6: X=R1, Y=R1-inter, Z=0, Click Apply.
Keypoint 7: X=R1, Y=R1p-inter, Z=0, Click Apply.
Keypoint 8: X=0, Y=R1p-inter, Z=0, Click Apply.
Keypoint 9: X=0, Y=-R2, Z=0, Click Apply.
Keypoint 10: X=0, Y=R1-inter, Z=0, Click OK.

Create Lines
Main Menu > Preprocessor > Modeling > Create > Lines > Lines >In Active Coord
This brings up the Lines in Active Coord pick menu.
Start by creating the line between keypoints 2 and 3. Click on keypoint 2 and then
keypoint 3. Similarly, create lines between keypoints 3 & 4, 4 & 1, 6 & 7, 7 & 8 and 8 &
5.
Main Menu > Preprocessor > Modeling > Create > Lines > Arcs > By End KPs & Rad
This brings up the Arc by End KPs & Rad pick menu.
Start by creating the arc between keypoints 6 and 5. Click on keypoint 6 and then
keypoint 5. These are the keypoints at start and end of arc. Click OK. Then, click on
keypoint 10. This is the keypoint on the center-of-curvature side and plane of arc. Click
OK.
This brings up the Arc by End KPs and Radius menu. Enter R1 for RAD Radius of the
arc. The other parameters (keypoints at start, end and center of curvature) are
automatically selected and we don't need to change them. Click Apply.
Similarly, create the arc between keypoints 2 and 1, using keypoint 9 as the center-of-
curvature and R2 as the RAD Radius of the arc.
At this point we have all the lines and arcs needed to create the areas.
Create Areas
Main Menu > Preprocessor >Modeling > Create > Areas > Arbitrary > By Lines
This brings up the Create Area by Lines pick menu. Select lines 4, 5, 6 and 7 to create the
upper area. Click Apply. Similarly, select lines 1, 2, 3 and 8 to create the lower area.
Click OK.
Note that you can also generate the areas by creating two squares and two circular
sectors, and then adding them using boolean operations. This method generates the same
end result.
Create Volumes
To create the volumes, we will rotate each of the areas about a line/axis.
Main Menu > Preprocessor >Modeling > Operate > Extrude > Areas > About Axis
This brings up the Sweep Areas about Axis pick menu. In the Input window, ANSYS tells
you to "pick or enter areas to be swept about axis". Select the upper area (1) and click
OK. ANSYS tells you to "pick or enter two keypoint defining the axis". Select keypoint 8
first and then keypoint 7, click OK.
This brings up the Sweep Areas about Axis menu. This menu allows you to specify the
angle by which the area will be rotated about the axis. Clearly, we want to rotate the area
90 degrees to generate the volume, but there are two options: +90 or -90. The sign is
determined by the keypoint selection made in the previous step. Since we selected
keypoint 8 first and then keypoint 7, the axis goes from 8 to 7. As a result, we want to
rotate the area +90 degrees (use the right hand rule to visualize this) so that the area is
rotated in the negative z direction. Enter 90 for ARC Arc length in degrees. Since we
don't want segments or divisions in the volume, enter 0 for NSEG No. of volume
segments. Click Apply.
Repeat the same procedure to generate the lower volume. Start by selecting the lower
area (2). Click OK. Then select keypoint 3 first and then keypoint 4, click OK. In the
following menu, enter 90 for ARC Arc length in degrees and 0 for NSEG No. of volume
segments. Click OK.
If you did this correctly, you will see that both areas are rotated 90 degrees in the negative
z direction. Note that the key step here is to specify a rotation angle consistent with your
selection of initial and final keypoints, following the right hand rule.
Save Your Work

Toolbar > SAVE_DB

We'll start by meshing the upper and lower disks using SOLID92 elements . Then, we'll
mesh the target and contact surfaces using TARGE170 elements and CONT175 elements
respectively.
This brings up the MeshTool.
in the meshing of the upper and lower volumes. Make sure Global is selected under
Element Attributes and click on Set.
This brings up the Meshing Attributes menu. You will see that PLANE92 and material
number 1 are already selected. Also, recall that no real constants need to be specified for
PLANE92 element type. Click OK.
Set Mesh Size
We'll use the SmartSize option which enables automatic element sizing. Click on the
SmartSize checkbox so that a tickmark appears in it. Change the setting for the overall
element size level to 1 by moving the slider under SmartSize to the left.
Mesh Volumes
In the MeshTool, make sure Volumes is selected in the drop-down list next to Mesh. We'll
use tetrahedral elements, so make sure the default option of Tet is selected under Shape.
We'll also use the default of Free meshing.
Click on the Mesh button. This brings up the Mesh Volumes pick menu.
In the Input window, ANSYS tells you to "pick or enter volumes to be meshed". Since
both volumes are to be meshed, click on Pick All. The geometry is meshed and the
elements are plotted in the Graphics window.
Mesh Target Surface
Before meshing the target surface, we need to select the nodes attached to the surface of
the lower disk that are expected to come into contact with the upper disk. Since only a
small area of the lower disk is expected to come into contact with the upper disk, we will
select only the nodes near the point of contact and define the target surface with these
nodes. To do this we will use "select logic".
First, we'll select the target area and then the nodes attached to this area and located
above the y=-2 plane. As we will see in the results, only a subset of the nodes located
above the y=-2 plane actually come into contact with the upper disk.
In contact problems, the target surface is modeled through a set of target

segments/elements. Several target elements comprise one target surface. These target
elements will define the surface of the lower disk that is expected to come into contact
with the upper disk.
Select Areas from the pull-down menu at the top. Make sure By Num/Pick is selected
Hold down the left mouse button until area 8 is selected. Area 8 belongs to the lower disk
and is the curved area that will come into contact with the upper disk once the force is
applied. You might need to rotate the view to be able to select this area. Click OK in the
pick menu.
Verify that area 8 has been selected: Utility Menu > Plot > Areas.
Next we'll select the nodes attached to this area. In the Select Entities menu, select Nodes
from the pull-down menu at the top and Attached to below that. Select Areas, All below
that. Click Apply.
Check that only nodes attached to area 8 are currently selected: Utility Menu > Plot >
Nodes
Next we'll select the nodes located above the y=-2 plane.
In the Select Entities menu, make sure Nodes is selected in the pull-down menu at the top
and select By Location below that. Select Y coordinates below that and enter -2,0.5 as the
Min,Max. Then select Reselect below that since we want to select a subset of the already
selected nodes. Click OK.
Check that only nodes above the y=-2 plane are currently selected: Utility Menu > Plot >
Nodes
We'll now mesh the selected nodes using TARGE170 elements.
Main Menu > Preprocessor > Modeling > Create > Elements > Elem Attributes
This brings up the Element Attributes menu. Select 2 TARGE170 for Element type
number. Note that the material number is defaulted to 1 as this the only one available.
Also, recall that we did not define any real constants for this element. Click OK. We have
now specified the element type to be used for the meshing of the target surface.
Main Menu > Preprocessor > Modeling > Create > Elements > Surf /Contact > Surf to
Surf
This brings up the Mesh Free Surface menu. We'll use the default settings. Click OK.
This brings up the Mesh free Surfaces pick menu. In the Input window, ANSYS tells you
to "pick or enter node for contact elements ". Since we have already selected the nodes,
click Pick All.
The target surface is meshed and the elements are plotted in the Graphics window.
In solving contact problems, where you expect large displacements or where you don't
know where contact might occur between bodies, you want to start by selecting as many
nodes as possible to capture all regions where contact may occur. At the same time, you
want to keep the number of selected nodes as small as possible to reduce the time to
generate a solution. Contact problems are highly nonlinear and require significant
computer resources to solve. In most cases, it is best to use an iterative approach in order
to reach an appropriate number of nodes and build an efficient model.
Mesh Contact Surface
We'll now mesh the contact surface. Again, we'll start by selecting the nodes attached to
the surface of the upper disk that are expected to come into contact with the lower disk.
In this case, we'll select the contact area first and then the nodes attached to this area and
located below the y=1.5 plane.
First, we need to undo the selections of areas and nodes we made in the previous step.
Select everything: Utility Menu > Select > Everything.

Select Areas from the pull-down menu at the top and By Num/Pick below that. Select
From Full below that. Click Apply.
Hold down the left mouse button until area 4 is selected. Area 4 belongs to the lower
body and is the curved area that will be in contact with the lower/target body once the
force is applied. You might need to rotate the view to be able to select this area. Click OK
in the pick menu.
Verify that area 4 has been selected: Utility Menu > Plot > Areas.
from the pull-down menu at the top and Attached to below that. Select Areas, All and
Check that only nodes attached to area 4 are currently selected: Utility Menu > Plot >
Nodes
Next we'll select the nodes located below the y=1.5 plane.
In the Select Entities menu, make sure Nodes is selected in the pull-down menu at the top
and select By Location below that. Select Y coordinates below that and enter -0.5,1.5 as
the Min,Max. Then select Reselect below that since we want to select a subset of the
already selected nodes. Click OK.
Check that only nodes below the y=1.5 plane are currently selected: Utility Menu > Plot
> Nodes
We'll now mesh the selected nodes using CONTA175 elements.
Main Menu > Preprocessor > Modeling > Create > Elements > Elem Attributes
This brings up the Element Attributes menu. Select 3 CONTA175 for Element type
number. Note that the material number and the real constant set number are both set to 1.
ANSYS has set the various real constants to their default values and created real constant
set 1. Click OK. Close the warning message that appears. We have now specified the
element type to be used for the meshing of the contact surface.
Main Menu > Preprocessor > Modeling > Create > Elements > Surf /Contact > Node to
Surf
This brings up the Mesh Free Surface menu. Click OK.

This brings up the Mesh free Surfaces pick menu. In the Input window, ANSYS tells you
to "pick or enter node for contact elements ". Since we have already selected the nodes,
click Pick All.
The target surface is meshed and the elements are plotted in the Graphics window.
Before we move to the next step, we need to undo the selections of areas and nodes we
have made. Select everything: Utility Menu > Select > Everything.
Save Your Work

Toolbar > SAVE_DB
Go to 6: Specify boundary conditions

As in previous tutorials, we'll apply the loads to the geometry rather than the mesh.
One important change to note is that instead of applying force P to the lower disk, we'll
constrain the lower surface of the lower disk in the vertical (y) direction in order to
sufficiently constrain the model and avoid rigid body motion.
Apply Symmetry Boundary Conditions
We'll apply symmetry boundary conditions along the planes of symmetry.
> Symmetry B.C. > On Areas
Select the four areas that define the planes of symmetry by clicking on them.
Click OK. The symbol s appears along these areas indicating that symmetry B.C.s have
been applied.
> On Areas
This brings up the Apply U,Rot on Areas pick menu. Select the bottom area of the lower
disk (x-z plane). Click OK.
This brings up the Apply U,Rot on Areas menu. Select UY for the DOFs to be constrained
and enter 0 for the Displacement value. Click OK.
Apply Force
Main Menu > Preprocessor > Loads > Define Loads > Apply > Structural >
Force/Moment > On Keypoints
This brings up the Apply F/M on KPs pick menu. Select keypoint 8 on the upper body
and click OK. This brings up the Apply F/M on Keypoints menu. Select FY for the
Direction of force/mom. Enter -p/4 for Force/Moment value and click OK. A single red
arrow denotes the force and the direction in which it is acting. Note that we have divided
the total force P=4500N by four to account for the fact that only a quarter of the volumes
are being modeled.
Apply Coupled BCs
We will apply a coupled boundary condition to the upper area of the upper disk to ensure
that all nodes attached to this area move equally as a result of the applied load.
Select Areas from the pull-down menu at the top and By Num/Pick below that. Select
Hold down the left mouse button until area 6 is selected. Area 6 is the upper area (x-z
plane) of the upper disk. Click OK.
from the pull-down menu at the top and Attached to below that. Select Areas, All below
that. Click OK.
Verify that only nodes attached to area 6 are currently selected: Utility Menu > Plot >
Nodes
We'll now apply a coupled boundary condition to the selected nodes.
Main Menu > Preprocessor > Coupling/Ceqn > Couple DOFs
This brings up the Define Coupled DOFs pick menu. In the Input window, ANSYS tells
you to "Pick or enter nodes to be coupled". Since we have already selected the nodes,
click Pick All.
This brings up the Define Coupled DOFs menu. Enter 1 for Set reference number which
is an arbitrary number. Select UY for Degree-of-freedom label as we want to couple the
movement of the nodes in the y direction. This step ensures that all nodes on the upper
surface will move equally as a result of the applied load. Click OK.
Before we move to the next step, we need to undo the selection of nodes and areas we
have made. Select everything: Utility Menu > Select > Everything.
Save Your Work
Toolbar > SAVE_DB
Go to Step 7: Solve!
tep 7: Solve!
As mentioned in step 1, the definition of initial contact is perhaps the most important
aspect of building a contact analysis model. Before we start the solution, we'll verify the
initial contact status. Issue the following command in the ANSYS Command Input
window: cncheck
This feature lists the initial status of contact pairs and provides a summary of the contact
problem we have set up. Note that an initial penetration of 1E-5 has been detected. This is
consistent with the value of parameter inter=1e-5, which we set up at the beginning of the
tutorial. Also, note that 1 contact pair is selected.
Define Solution Control Options
We'll specify the analysis option as a static analysis in which large deformation effects are
to be included. To do this, we'll use the Solution Controls menu.
Main Menu > Solution > Analysis Type > Sol'n Controls
This brings up the Solution Controls menu. Select Large Displacement Static for Analysis
Options. Under Time Control, enter 100 for Time at end of loadstep and select off from
the Automatic time stepping drop-down menu. Click OK.
Solve
We are now ready to solve:
Issue check in the ANSYS Command Input window. If the problem has been set up
correctly, there will be no errors or warnings reported. If you look in the Output window,
you should see the message: The analysis data was checked and no
warnings or errors were found.
Review the information in the /STATUS Command window. Close this window. Click OK
in Solve Current Load Step menu.
done!". Close the yellow window. You should get the following screen, which shows that
the solution has converged.
Verify that ANSYS has created a file called diskscontact.rst in your working directory.
This file contains the results of the (previous) solve.
Go to Step 8: Postprocess the results

Plot Nodal Solution of Von Mises Stress

This brings up the Contour Nodal Solution Data menu. Select Stress from the left list,
von Mises SEQV from the right list and click OK. Zoom in at the point of contact.
The contour plot also shows the locations of the maximum and minimum values with the
labels MX and MN, respectively. As you can see, the upper and lower disks have
deformed and come into contact.
List Maximum Compressive Stress
To determine the max principal stress we'll list the principal stresses.
Main Menu > General Postproc > List Results > Nodal Solution
This brings up the List Nodal Solution menu. Select Stress from the left list, Principals
SPRIN from the right and click OK.
The first three columns list the first, second and third principal stresses at each node.
Scroll all the way down in this window.
As you can see, the maximum principal stress is -1574.9. Recall that the the applied force
was specified in Newtons (p=4500N) and the geometry in mm. As a result, the max
principal stress has units of N/mm2. Also note that the value is negative, which tells us
that the max stress is a compressive stress. This is what one would expect based on the
loading conditions.
In addition, the max compressive stress is located at node 4 (Third principal stress S3)
which belongs to the lower disk and is the node initially in contact with the upper disk.
This is also consistent with what one would expect based on the geometry and loading
conditions.
List Maximum Displacements
To determine the approach (i.e. total distance through which the two bodies move
towards each other as a result of load P) we'll list the displacements of all nodes in the y
direction.
Main Menu > General Postproc > List Results > Nodal Solution
This brings up the List Nodal Solution menu. Select DOF solution from the left list,
Translation UY from the right and click OK.
The approach can be determined by finding the total displacement of a node attached to
the upper surface of the upper disk. Since all the nodes attached to the upper area will be
equally displaced as a result of the coupled boundary condition, we can look at the
displacement of any node attached to the upper surface.
Nodes 7 and 10 are attached to the upper area of the upper disk. From the list above we
can see that the displacement of these nodes is the same and has a value of -0.2525e-01.
Recall that the geometry was specified in mm. As a result, the displacement has units of
mm. Therefore, the approach or total distance through which the two bodies move
towards each other is 0.0252 mm.

Theoretical Results
We will compare the solution obtained with ANSYS with the expected theoretical values.
. Approach Max Prin Stress

Theory 0.0258mm -1667N/mm2
ANSYS 0.0252mm -1574.9N/mm2
As we can see, the value for the approach obtained with ANSYS compares well with the
theoretical value (less than 3% variation). The max principal stress also compares well
with the theoretical value (less than 6% variation).
Refine Mesh
We will repeat the calculations on a mesh with a refined element size level near the point
of contact to check the validity of the solution.
Main Menu > Preprocessor > Meshing > Mesh Tool
Select Clear under Mesh and Pick All in the pick menu. The mesh is deleted.
In addition to deleting the mesh, we need to delete the target and contact elements and
associated nodes.
Main Menu > Preprocessor > Modeling > Delete > Elements
This brings up the Delete Elements pick menu. Select Pick All.
Main Menu > Preprocessor > Modeling > Delete > Nodes
This brings up the Delete Nodes pick menu. Select Pick All.
We will now re-mesh the geometry.
In the MeshTool menu, make sure Global is selected under Element Attributes and click
on Set. Select 1 SOLID92 for Element type number. Then, make sure the overall element
size level is set to 1 under SmartSize. Also, make sure Volumes is selected in the drop-
down list next to Mesh and the default options of Tet and Free meshing are selected under
Shape. Click on the Mesh button and click on Pick All.
In the MeshTool, select KeyPoints in the drop-down list next to Refine at:. Click on the
Refine button. This brings up the Refine mesh at Keypoints pick menu. Enter 1 under List
of items and hit Enter (keyboard). Then, enter 5 and click OK. Recall that keypoints 1
and 5 are located at the point of contact. Keypoint 1 belongs to the lower disk and
keypoint 5 to the upper disk. We selected both keypoints as we want to refine the mesh
on the upper and lower disks.
This brings up the Refine Mesh at keypoint menu. This menu allows us to select the level
of refinement we want to achieve. We'll use the minimal option of 1(Minimal), which is
the default. Click OK.
The mesh is now refined around the selected nodes.
We now need to re-mesh the target and contact surfaces. To do this, repeat the steps
described in step 5. We also need to re-apply the coupled boundary condition to the upper
area of the upper disk. To do this, repeat the steps described in step 6.
Obtain a new solution: Main Menu > Solution > Solve > Current LS
You should get screen similar to the one presented in step 7, showing that the solution has
converged.
List the principal stresses: Main Menu > General Postproc > List Results > Nodal
Solution
Select Stress from the left list, Principals SPRIN from the right and click OK.
Scroll all the way down in this window. You will find that the new maximum principal
stress is -1694.5N/mm2.
List the principal maximum displacements: Main Menu > General Postproc > List
Results > Nodal Solution
Select DOF solution from the left list, Translation UY from the right and click OK.
You will find that the new displacement for nodes attached to the upper area of the upper
disk is again the same and has a value of -0.25800E-01 =0.0258 mm.
We can now compare the new results with the results previously obtained.
. Approach Max Prin Stress

Theory 0.0258mm -1667N/mm2
ANSYS Coarse 0.0252mm -1574.9N/mm2
ANSYS Fine 0.0258mm -1694.5N/mm2
The new value obtained for the approach is the same as the theoretical value. Also, the
new value for the max principal stress varies by less than 2% with respect to the
theoretical value. This indicates that even though both meshes provide adequate
resolution, the finer mesh generates more accurate results.
Exit ANSYS
Reference
Boresi, A.P., and Schmidt, R.J., Advanced Mechanics of Materials, Sixth Edition, John
Wiley and Sons, Inc., 2003.

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Preprocessing: Defining the Problem

Thermal Environment - Create Geometry and Define Thermal Properties

1. Give example a Title

Utility Menu > File > Change Title ...

2. Open preprocessor menu

ANSYS Main Menu > Preprocessor

Keypoint Coordinates (x,y,z)

Create a line joining Keypoints 1 and 2, representing a link 1 meter long.

Preprocessor > Element Type > Add/Edit/Delete...

Define Real Constants

i. Cross-sectional area AREA: 4e-4

This defines a beam with a cross-sectional area of 2 cm X 2 cm.

Define Element Material Properties

Define Mesh Size

Mesh the frame

Structural Environment - Define Physical Properties

1. Switch Element Type

Preprocessor > Element Type > Switch Elem Type

Choose Thermal to Struc from the scoll down list.

This will switch to the complimentary structural element automatically. In

Define Element Material Properties

i. Young's Modulus EX: 200e9

In the window that appears, enter the TITLE Struct

Solution Phase: Assigning Loads and Solving

Solution > Analysis Type > New Analysis > Static

Choose thermal and click OK.

Solve the System

It is very important to click Finish as it closes that environment and

Read in the Structural Environment

Choose struct and click OK.

Fix Keypoint 1 for all DOF's and Keypoint 2 in the UX direction.

Include Thermal Effects

Solve the System

Postprocessing: Viewing the Results

Hand calculations were performed to verify the solution found

2. Get Stress Data

Fill in the window as shown below. [CompStr > By Sequence Num

3. List the Stress Data

Simple Conduction Example

The Simple Conduction Example is constrained as shown in the following figure.

ANSYS Main Menu > Preprocessor

4. Define the Type of Element

Solution Phase: Assigning Loads and Solving

Solution > Analysis Type > New Analysis > Steady-State

• Solution > Define Loads > Apply

• Fill the window in as shown to constrain the side to a constant temperature

Orange triangles in the graphics window indicate the temperature

Postprocessing: Viewing the Results

Thermal - Mixed Boundary Example

The Mixed Convection/Conduction/Insulated Boundary Conditions Example is

Preprocessing: Defining the Problem

ANSYS Main Menu > Preprocessor

4. Define the Type of Element

Element Material Properties

This will specify a thermal conductivity of 10 W/m*C.

Solution Phase: Assigning Loads and Solving

Solution > Analysis Type > New Analysis > Steady-State

Apply Convection Boundary Conditions