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ANSYS Tutorial Notes

This document provides instructions for using ANSYS Workbench's new "External Data" feature to import spatially and temporally varying load data defined in an external file, like an Excel spreadsheet. It demonstrates defining a moving pressure load on a bridge from a CSV file, importing the data into Workbench, assigning it as a pressure load over multiple time steps, and checking the results. The new External Data feature allows loads to be defined by arbitrary functions of both space and time from external data sources.

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Shannon Wolfe
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199 views

ANSYS Tutorial Notes

This document provides instructions for using ANSYS Workbench's new "External Data" feature to import spatially and temporally varying load data defined in an external file, like an Excel spreadsheet. It demonstrates defining a moving pressure load on a bridge from a CSV file, importing the data into Workbench, assigning it as a pressure load over multiple time steps, and checking the results. The new External Data feature allows loads to be defined by arbitrary functions of both space and time from external data sources.

Uploaded by

Shannon Wolfe
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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ANSYS Tutorial: External Data

With the release of ANSYS Workbench 13.0 a new feature is presented: the External Data
system which enables users to import data from external software/sources in text format into the
Mechanical applications. The users can import an external file to describe temperatures,
pressures, displacement (beta) or convection coefficients and apply it in a static structural,
transient structural, steady state thermal, transient thermal or thermal-electric analysis. This
article shows how to import and apply an external data file.
The possibility of defining spatially varying load has partially available since the release of
ANSYS Workbench V12.1. We have previously written a blog article about it, and it can be
found here. This functionality is quite limited since it can only apply loads which are defined by
functions with one variable. This limitation is redeemed by the External Data-feature, which is
new in V13. With External Data the users can define loads (temperatures, pressures,
displacement (beta) or convection coefficients) with arbitrary functions, or variations, in both
time and space. We can also import results from other software to utilize them as loads in
Workbench. The procedure is that the user defines the values on some specified points, and then
ANSYS Workbench maps these values to nodes which are located in scoping ranges. In fact in
V13 there is another new feature to import temperature and apply it to a part of a model in
Workbench. Here is more detailed description of the application.
In this article we will describe how to use External Data to define a spatially varying and moving
load. As usually we use a simple model. Assume it is a bridge and a vehicle moves on it. The
pressure caused by the vehicle is not uniform. It is highest at the center of the vehicle and zero at
edges. The load function is simplified to multiplication of sinus functions. Furthermore it is
moving forward.

One solution is to divide the upper surface of the bridge into many small faces and define
pressures on different areas at different time point by APDL. For those who are not so good at
APDL it is a challenge. Now we will do it by utilizing the External Data-system, which is
much easier.
First we have to prepare an external data file which will be used to define the load. The external
data file can be created in any software, written manually, or whatever, as long as it fulfills
Workbenchs requirement. The external data file can be formatted in C or FORTRAN, or in
freestyle and separated by a delimiter character. It must be a text file and with no limitation on
file extension. Here we prepare external data in Excel. This is another usage of Excel in
Workbench than those we described in our previous article. The following figure shows what it
looks like:

The first three columns specify the locations of source points. Columns D to G define pressure
on different area at different time point. Workbench cannot import Excel file in External Data so
we have to save it in a text file. Csv format usually works fine:

We open the saved file in a text editor and take a look:

Step 2: add an External Data system to Project Schematic and edit its properties:

It is time to add the file to External Data:

In Properties of File we set to start import at line 2 and semicolon as delimiter character:

Thereafter we define the data types and their corresponding units in the Table pane:

In Preview of File, only the first ten imported lines are shown and we can check in Mechanical if
all data are imported:

Return to the Workbench Project site and connect A2 to B5. After updating project there is still a
question mark on B5 which means we need to setup imported load in Mechanical:

Step 3: Open the Mechanical window and we will see that an Imported Load folder is added
under the Environment folder by default. Go to Analysis Settings and define how many load
steps we are going to run. In this case it is 4. And then right mouse click on the Imported Load
and select Pressure:

In Details view we assign scoping area. We may modify the mapping settings to achieve the
desired mapping accuracy.

In the Data View, select the desired data Identifier for the imported load. Right click in the Data
View and select Add Row to specify additional data for a different analysis/load step time.
Except to analysis time we may also modify scale and offset.

When Imported Load is updated, we can check imported pressure at different time point by
changing Active Row under Details view:

Step 4: define other boundary conditions and loads if necessary. Solve and done!

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