Created in COMSOL Multiphysics 5.

3a

Bracket — Static Analysis

This model is licensed under the COMSOL Software License Agreement 5.3a.
All trademarks are the property of their respective owners. See www.comsol.com/trademarks.
Introduction
The various examples based on a bracket geometry form a suite of tutorials which
summarizes the fundamentals when modeling structural mechanics problems in
COMSOL Multiphysics and the Structural Mechanics Module.

This is the most fundamental model in the suite, and includes the definition of material
properties and boundary conditions. After the solution is computed, you learn how to
analyze results and check the reaction forces.

Model Definition
The model used in this guide is a bracket made of steel. This type of bracket can be used
to install an actuator that is mounted on a pin placed between the two holes in the bracket
arms. The geometry is shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1: Bracket geometry.

In this analysis, the mounting bolts are assumed to be fixed and securely bonded to the
bracket. One of the arms is loaded upwards, and the other downwards. The loads are
applied as a pressure on the inner surfaces of the holes, and their intensity is P0 cos(α),
where α is the angle from the direction of the load resultants. Figure 2 below shows the

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loads applied to the bracket.

Figure 2: Load distribution in the bracket arms.

Results
Figure 3 shows the von Mises stress distribution together with an exaggerated
(automatically scaled) picture of the deformation. The high stress values are located in the
vicinity of the mounting bolts and at the transition between the plates.

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Figure 3: Von Mises stress distribution in the bracket under bending load in z-axis direction.

In Figure 4 you can see that the bracket base remains fixed while only the arms are
deformed. The maximum total displacement is about 0.2 mm, which is in agreement with
the assumption of small deformations.

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Figure 4: Bracket total displacement.

Figure 5 shows the principal stresses in the bracket. The largest principal stress is shown
with red arrows, the intermediate principal stress with green arrows, and the smallest
principal stress with blue arrows.

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Figure 5: Principal stress in the bracket left arm.

In Table 1 you can see the reaction force in the x, y, and z directions in each bolt. In all
directions the sum is zero, which is a good check, since in this model there are no resultant
forces. The slight asymmetry can be attributed to that the mesh is not perfectly symmetric.
TABLE 1: REACTION FORCE IN BOLT

REACTION FORCE, REACTION FORCE, Y- REACTION FORCE, Z-

X-DIRECTION (N) DIRECTION (N) DIRECTION (N)

Bolt 1 451 307 2535

Bolt 2 -450 72 -1703
Bolt 3 451 -307 -2533
Bolt 4 -452 -72 1701

Application Library path: Structural_Mechanics_Module/Tutorials/

bracket_static

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Modeling Instructions
From the File menu, choose New.

NEW
In the New window, click Model Wizard.

The first step to build a model is to open COMSOL and then specify the type of analysis
you want to do - in this case, a stationary, solid mechanics analysis.

MODEL WIZARD
1 In the Model Wizard window, click 3D.
2 In the Select Physics tree, select Structural Mechanics>Solid Mechanics (solid).
3 Click Add.
4 Click Study.
5 In the Select Study tree, select Preset Studies>Stationary.
6 Click Done.

GLOBAL DEFINITIONS
It is good modeling practice to gather the constants and parameters in one place so that
you can change them easily. Using parameters will also improve the readability of your
input data.

Parameters
1 In the Model Builder window, under Global Definitions click Parameters.
2 In the Settings window for Parameters, locate the Parameters section.
3 In the table, enter the following settings:

Name Expression Value Description

P0 2.5[MPa] 2.5E6 Pa Peak load intensity
YC -300[mm] -0.3 m Y coordinate of hole center

GEOMETRY 1
The next step is to create your geometry, which also can be imported from an external
program. COMSOL Multiphysics supports a multitude of CAD programs and file
formats. In this example, import a file in the COMSOL Multiphysics geometry file format
(.mphbin).

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Import 1 (imp1)
1 On the Home toolbar, click Import.
2 In the Settings window for Import, locate the Import section.
3 From the Source list, choose COMSOL Multiphysics file.
4 Click Browse.
5 Browse to the model’s Application Libraries folder and double-click the file
bracket.mphbin.

6 Click Import.

Block 1 (blk1)
It is possible to create a free tetrahedral mesh of the whole component. Such a strategy is
however not efficient for the large flat regions. For this reason, you will partition the
geometry, so that meshing becomes easier.

1 On the Geometry toolbar, click Block.

2 In the Settings window for Block, locate the Selections of Resulting Entities section.
3 Click New.
4 In the New Cumulative Selection dialog box, type Partition block in the Name text
field.
5 Click OK.
6 In the Settings window for Block, locate the Size and Shape section.
7 In the Width text field, type 0.025.
8 In the Depth text field, type 0.13.
9 In the Height text field, type 0.04.
10 Locate the Position section. In the x text field, type -0.11.
11 In the y text field, type -0.12.
12 In the z text field, type 0.025.

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13 Click Build Selected.

Mirror 1 (mir1)
1 On the Geometry toolbar, click Transforms and choose Mirror.
2 In the Settings window for Mirror, locate the Input section.
3 From the Input objects list, choose Partition block.
4 Select the Keep input objects check box.
5 Locate the Selections of Resulting Entities section. From the Contribute to list, choose
Partition block.
6 Click Build Selected.

Mirror 2 (mir2)
1 On the Geometry toolbar, click Transforms and choose Mirror.
2 In the Settings window for Mirror, locate the Input section.
3 From the Input objects list, choose Partition block.
4 Select the Keep input objects check box.
5 Locate the Normal Vector to Plane of Reflection section. In the x text field, type 1.
6 In the z text field, type 0.

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7 Locate the Selections of Resulting Entities section. From the Contribute to list, choose
Partition block.
8 Click Build Selected.

Partition Objects 1 (par1)

1 On the Geometry toolbar, click Booleans and Partitions and choose Partition Objects.
2 Select the object imp1 only.
3 In the Settings window for Partition Objects, locate the Partition Objects section.
4 Find the Tool objects subsection. Select the Active toggle button.
5 From the Tool objects list, choose Partition block.
6 Click Build Selected.

Form Union (fin)

1 In the Model Builder window, under Component 1 (comp1)>Geometry 1 right-click
Form Union (fin) and choose Build Selected.
2 Click the Zoom Extents button on the Graphics toolbar.

DEFINITIONS
Here you want to define an expression for the load applied to the load-carrying holes.
Assume the load distribution to be defined with a trigonometric function.

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Analytic 1 (an1)
1 On the Home toolbar, click Functions and choose Local>Analytic.
2 In the Settings window for Analytic, type load in the Function name text field.
3 Locate the Definition section. In the Expression text field, type F*cos(atan2(py,
abs(px))).
4 In the Arguments text field, type F, py, px.
5 Locate the Units section. In the Arguments text field, type Pa, m, m.
6 In the Function text field, type Pa.

Explicit 1
1 On the Definitions toolbar, click Explicit.
2 In the Settings window for Explicit, type Bolt 1 in the Label text field.
3 Locate the Input Entities section. From the Geometric entity level list, choose Boundary.
4 Select Boundary 41 only.
5 Select the Group by continuous tangent check box.
6 Repeat the steps above to add three more explicit selections, with the following
properties:

Default node label New node label Select this boundary

Explicit 2 Bolt 2 43
Explicit 3 Bolt 3 55
Explicit 4 Bolt 4 57

Union 1
1 On the Definitions toolbar, click Union.
2 In the Settings window for Union, type Bolt holes in the Label text field.
3 Locate the Geometric Entity Level section. From the Level list, choose Boundary.
4 Locate the Input Entities section. Under Selections to add, click Add.
5 In the Add dialog box, in the Selections to add list, choose Bolt 1, Bolt 2, Bolt 3, and
Bolt 4.
6 Click OK.

MATERIALS
COMSOL Multiphysics is equipped with built-in material properties for a number of
common materials. Here, choose structural steel. The material is automatically assigned to
all domains.

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ADD MATERIAL
1 On the Home toolbar, click Add Material to open the Add Material window.
2 Go to the Add Material window.
3 In the tree, select Built-In>Structural steel.
4 Click Add to Component in the window toolbar.
5 On the Home toolbar, click Add Material to close the Add Material window.

SOLID MECHANICS (SOLID)

By default, the Solid Mechanics interface assumes that the participating material models
are linear elastic, which is appropriate for this example. All that is left to do is to set the
constraints and loads.

Fixed Constraint 1
1 On the Physics toolbar, click Boundaries and choose Fixed Constraint.
2 In the Settings window for Fixed Constraint, locate the Boundary Selection section.
3 From the Selection list, choose Bolt holes.

Boundary Load 1
Apply a boundary load to the bracket holes. The predefined boundary system is used for
orienting the load in the normal direction.

1 On the Physics toolbar, click Boundaries and choose Boundary Load.

2 Select Boundaries 4 and 76 only.
3 In the Settings window for Boundary Load, locate the Coordinate System Selection
section.
4 From the Coordinate system list, choose Boundary System 1 (sys1).
5 Locate the Force section. Specify the FA vector as

0 t1
0 t2
load(-P0,Y-YC,Z) n

MESH 1
Create a mesh which is swept through the thin flat parts, and then use a free tetrahedral
mesh in the parts with a more complex geometry. Note that the transition between the
two element types is automatic.

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Swept 1
1 In the Model Builder window, under Component 1 (comp1) right-click Mesh 1 and choose
Swept.
2 In the Settings window for Swept, locate the Domain Selection section.
3 From the Geometric entity level list, choose Domain.
4 Select Domains 1, 4–6, and 9 only.
5 Click to expand the Source faces section. Select Boundaries 1, 33, 37, 50, and 72 only.

Size 1
1 Right-click Component 1 (comp1)>Mesh 1>Swept 1 and choose Size.
2 In the Settings window for Size, locate the Element Size section.
3 Click the Custom button.
4 Locate the Element Size Parameters section. Select the Maximum element size check box.
5 In the associated text field, type 8[mm].
6 Click Build Selected.

Size 1
1 In the Model Builder window, right-click Mesh 1 and choose Free Tetrahedral.
2 Right-click Free Tetrahedral 1 and choose Size.
3 In the Settings window for Size, locate the Element Size section.
4 From the Predefined list, choose Finer.

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5 Click Build All.

The steps below show how to visualize the load distribution in the current geometry
before computing the solution.

STUDY 1

Stress (solid)
On the Study toolbar, click Get Initial Value.

Note that the Study node automatically defines a solver sequence for the simulation based
on the selected physics (Solid Mechanics) and study type (Stationary).

RESULTS

Arrow Surface 1
1 In the Model Builder window, under Results right-click Stress (solid) and choose
Arrow Surface.
2 In the Settings window for Arrow Surface, locate the Expression section.
3 In the X component text field, type solid.FperAreax.
4 In the Y component text field, type solid.FperAreay.
5 In the Z component text field, type solid.FperAreaz.

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6 Locate the Coloring and Style section. From the Placement list, choose Mesh nodes.
7 On the Stress (solid) toolbar, click Plot.

Now, solve the model.

STUDY 1
On the Home toolbar, click Compute.

The default plot shows the von Mises stress distribution, together with an exaggerated
(automatically scaled) picture of the deformation.

Add a plot group to display the displacement of the bracket.

RESULTS

3D Plot Group 2
1 On the Home toolbar, click Add Plot Group and choose 3D Plot Group.
2 In the Settings window for 3D Plot Group, type Total displacement in the Label text
field.

Surface 1
1 Right-click Total displacement and choose Surface.
2 In the Settings window for Surface, locate the Expression section.
3 From the Unit list, choose mm.
4 On the Total displacement toolbar, click Plot.

Create another plot to display the principal stresses.

3D Plot Group 3
1 On the Home toolbar, click Add Plot Group and choose 3D Plot Group.
2 In the Settings window for 3D Plot Group, type Principal stress in the Label text
field.

Principal Stress Volume 1

1 On the Principal stress toolbar, click More Plots and choose Principal Stress Volume.
2 In the Settings window for Principal Stress Volume, locate the Positioning section.
3 Find the X grid points subsection. In the Points text field, type 30.
4 Find the Y grid points subsection. In the Points text field, type 60.
5 Find the Z grid points subsection. In the Points text field, type 15.
6 Locate the Coloring and Style section. From the Arrow length list, choose Logarithmic.

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7 On the Principal stress toolbar, click Plot.

A final check is to compute the total reaction force along the x, y, and z directions. Use a
surface integration over the constrained boundaries.

Surface Integration 1
1 On the Results toolbar, click More Derived Values and choose Integration>
Surface Integration.
2 In the Settings window for Surface Integration, locate the Selection section.
3 From the Selection list, choose Bolt 1.
4 Locate the Expressions section. In the table, enter the following settings:

Expression Unit Description

solid.RFx N Reaction force, x component
solid.RFy N Reaction force, y component
solid.RFz N Reaction force, z component

5 Click Evaluate.

Table 1
1 In the Model Builder window, expand the Results>Tables node, then click Table 1.
2 In the Settings window for Table, type Reaction force, bolt 1 in the Label text field.
3 Repeat the previous steps three times to evaluate the reaction forces in all four bolts,
using the information in the table below.

Node label Choose selection New table node name

Surface integration 2 Bolt 2 Reaction force, bolt 2
Surface integration 3 Bolt 3 Reaction force, bolt 3
Surface integration 4 Bolt 4 Reaction force, bolt 4

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