WB-Mech 121 Ch03 Analysis PDF

Chapter 3
General Preprocessing
Introduction to ANSYS
Mechanical
ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary Release 12.1

© 2010 ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. 3-1 January 2010
Chapter Overview Training Manual
• In this chapter, using features without the use of the Wizards will be
covered
• Topics:
A. Geometry
B. Contact
C. Workshop 3-1, “Contact Control”
D. Meshing
E. Named Selections
F. Coordinate Systems
y
G. Workshop 3-2, “Meshing Control”
• The capabilities described in this section are generally applicable to

the ANSYS DesignSpace Entra licenses and above and are noted in
tthe
e lower-left
o e e t hand
a d tab
tables
es

Introduction Training Manual
• In the previous chapter, the Mechanical GUI was introduced through the use
of the Mechanical Wizards
• In this chapter, navigating through the GUI without the Wizards will be
covered

… Introduction Training Manual
• The Outline Tree is the main way of setting up an analysis

– The Context Toolbar, Details View, and Graphics Window update,
depending on which Outline Tree branch is selected
– Use of the Outline Tree will be emphasized in this chapter
U off th
Use the O
Outline
tli Tree
T is
i
the means by which
users navigate through
the Mechanical GUI.

A. Geometry Branch Training Manual
• The Geometry branch lists the part(s)

that make up the model.
• In Mechanical, there are three types of
bodies which can be analyzed:
– Solid bodies are general 3D or 2D
volumes/areas/parts
– Surface bodies are only areas
– Line bodies are only curves
– Each is explained next . . .

… Types of Bodies Training Manual
• Solid bodies are geometrically and spatially 3D or 2D:

– 3D solids are meshed with higher-order tetrahedral or hexahedral solid elements
with quadratic shape functions.
– 2D solids are meshed with higher order triangle or quadrilateral solid elements
with quadratic shape functions
• The “2D” switch must be set on the Project page prior to import
• Geometry type cannot be changed from 2D to 3D (or vice versa) after import
– Each node has three translational degrees of freedom (DOF) for structural or one
temperature DOF for thermal
Axisymmetric
y
3D Solids 2D Solids cross section

… Types of Bodies Training Manual
• Surface bodies are geometrically 2D but spatially 3D:

– Surface bodies represent structures which are thin in one dimension (through-
thickness). Thickness is not modeled but supplied as an input value.
– Surface bodies are meshed with linear shell elements having six DOF (UX,
(UX UY,
UY
UZ, ROTX, ROTY, ROTZ).
• Line bodies are geometrically 1D but spatially 3D:
– Line bodies represent
p structures which are thin in two dimensions. The cross-
section is not modeled.
– Line bodies are modeled with linear beam elements having six DOF (UX, UY, UZ,
ROTX, ROTY, ROTZ).
Line Body
Surface Body
… Multibody Parts Training Manual
• In general, bodies and parts are the same. In DesignModeler however,

multiple bodies may be grouped into multibody parts.
• Multibody parts share common boundaries so nodes are shared at that
interface.
• No contact is needed in these situations.
• Example:
Common nodes
are shared by
adjacent bodies

… Material Properties Training Manual
• To assign material properties to a body

highlight it and select from the available
properties in the “Assignment” field :
– The only materials appearing in the list
will be materials added using the
“Engineering Data” application (see
previous chapter).
chapter)
• For surface bodies a thickness needs to

be supplied as well.

… Geometry Worksheet Training Manual
• A summary of bodies and assigned materials is available

– Select “Geometry” branch and then the “Worksheet” tab

B. Contact Training Manual
• When multiple parts are present, a means of defining the relationship

between parts is needed.
– Contact regions define how parts interact with each other.
• Without
With t contact
t t or spott welds,
ld parts
t will
ill nott interact
i t t with
ith each
h other:
th
– In structural analyses, contact and spot welds prevent parts from penetrating
through each other and provide a means of load transfer between parts.
– In thermal analyses,
y , contact and spot
p welds allow for heat transfer across parts.
p
– Multibody parts do not require contact or spot welds.
Load
A B
Surface contact elements can be visualized as a “skin”

covering the regions where contact will occur.
… Solid Body Contact Training Manual
• When an assembly is imported contact

surfaces are automatically detected
and created:
– The p
proximityy of surfaces is used to
detect contact. Tolerance for contact
detection is available in the
“Connections” branch details.
• Contact is also used for 2D geometry.
g y
Contact “surfaces” are represented by
edges.
• Certain license levels allow surface to
edge, edge to edge and mixed
solid/surface contact.
• Note, automatic contact should always

be checked and verified before
proceeding with an analysis.

– Contact elements provide the relationship between parts.

– Each part maintains a separate mesh. This means that one small part will not
drive mesh density of the entire assembly and/or the user can make parts of
interest have a finer mesh than other parts
Note the non-matching mesh at the

interface between parts.
p
Mix of hexahedral elements
contacting tetrahedral elements is
possible.

• When a contact region is highlighted in the connections branch, parts are made
translucent for easier viewing.
– Selecting a contact region makes non participating bodies translucent.
– Contact surfaces are color coded for easy
y identification.

• “Go To” utilities allow a more detailed investigation of contact definitions:

– Corresponding bodies in tree
– Bodies without contact
– Contact regions for selected bodies
– Contacts common to selected bodies
– Contacts can be q
quickly
y renamed to match part
p names
RMB
• To manually define a contact pair insert a manual contact region and select
and apply “contact” and “target” surfaces.
RMB

… Advanced Solid Body Contact Training Manual
• For ANSYS Professional licenses and above, advanced contact options are
available:
– Auto detection dimension and slider
– A
Asymmetric
t i contact
t t
– Contact results tool
– More contact formulations available
– Pinball control

… Advanced Solid Body Contact Training Manual
• The Pinball region represents a contact detection zone:

– Contact calculation/detection occurs when contact gap is within the pinball
radius.
– The p
pinball radius dimension may y be entered to ensure that bonded contact is
established for a large clearance or gap.
– Pinball radius is displayed as a sphere in the graphics window.
– Status: near field, far field, closed/sliding, closed/sticking.

… Surface Body Contact Training Manual
• Shell contact includes edge-to-face or edge-to-

edge contact:
– Shell contact is not turned on by
y default.
– User can turn on detection of face-to-edge
or edge-to-edge contact.
– Priority can be set to prevent multiple contact
regions from being formed in a given region
by setting priority.

… Spot Weld Training Manual
• Spot welds provide a means of connecting assemblies at discrete points:

– Spot weld is defined in the CAD software. Currently, only DesignModeler and
Unigraphics define spot welds supported by Mechanical.
Spot weld pairs

… Contact Worksheet Training Manual
• The “Worksheet” tab of the “Connections” branch provides a summary of

various contact and spot weld definitions:

C. Workshop 3.1 – Contact Control Training Manual
• Workshop 3.1 – Contact Control

• Goal:
– Investigate several types of contact behavior.

D. Meshing Training Manual
• The nodes and elements representing the geometry model make up the
mesh:
– A “default” mesh is automatically generated during initiation of the solution.
– The
Th user can “generate”
“ t ” the
th meshh prior
i tot solving
l i tot verify
if mesh h control
t l
settings.
– A finer mesh produces more precise answers but also increases CPU time and
memory requirements.

… Global Meshing Controls Training Manual
• Physics Based Meshing allows the user to specify the

mesh based on the physics to be solved. Choosing the
physics type will set controls such as:
– Solid
S lid element
l t mid-side
id id nodes
d
– Element shape checking
– Transitioning
• Physics preferences can be:
– Mechanical
– Electromagnetics
– CFD
– Explicit
• Setting the physics preference pre-configures the

Advanced meshing defaults discussed on subsequent
pages.
• Note: only Mechanical meshing preferences are

discussed in this course.
• Basic meshing controls are available under the “Defaults” group in the
“Mesh” branch
– The user has control with a single slider bar
• “Relevance” setting
g between –100 and +100
- Relevance = coarse + Relevance = fine

mesh mesh

• Advanced global controls:

– Relevance Center: sets the mid point of the
“Relevance” slider control
control.
– Element Size: defines element size used for
the entire model.
– Shape
p Checking:g
• Standard Mechanical – linear stress, modal and
thermal analyses.
• Aggressive Mechanical – large deformations
and material nonlinearities.
• Solid Element Midside Nodes:
– Program Controlled (default), Dropped or
Kept.
Element A Element B
Kept Dropped
• Straight Sided Elements :

– Displayed when solids are present in the
model or enclosures from DesignModeler are
present. Must be used for Electromagnetic
simulations.
i l ti
• Initial Size seed:
– Controls the initial seeding of the mesh size
for each p
part. (Explained
( p in more detail on
next slide)
• Smoothing :
– Attempts to improve element quality by
moving nodes. Number of smoothing
iterations can be controlled (Low, Medium,
High).
• Transition :
– Controls the rate at which adjacent elements
will grow (Smooth, Fast)

• Initial Size Seed:

– Active Assembly (default) :
• Initial mesh sizing will be determined by the active set (unsuppressed) of parts.
– Full Assembly:
• Initial
I iti l mesh
h will
ill nott be
b affected
ff t d by
b the
th suppressed/unsuppressed
d/ d state
t t off parts.
t
– Part:
• Initial seeding based on each part’s size independently. Mesh will not change due to part
suppression. Generally gives finer mesh. Mesh may not be uniform through out the
assembly.
Part-Based Mesh Seeding

Assembly-Based Mesh Seeding
Nodes: 44,013
Nodes: 15,670
(Mesh seeding is based
(Mesh seeding is more uniform
on parts, so less uniform
between parts)
between pparts))

… Local Meshing Controls Training Manual
• Local Mesh Controls can be applied to either a Geometry Selection or a

Named Selection. These are available only when the mesh branch is
highlighted. Available controls include :
– Method Control
– Sizing Control
– Contact Sizing Control
– Refinement Control
– Mapped Face Meshing (EMAG and cyclic, not covered)
– Inflation Control
– Pinch Control
– Gap Tool (EMAG only, not covered)

… Local Meshing Controls : Method (continued) Training Manual
• Method Control : Provides the user with options as

to how solid bodies are meshed: (Valid only for
bodies).
• Automatic (default):
– Body will be swept if possible. Otherwise, the
“Patch Conforming” mesher under “Tetrahedrons”
is used.
• Continued . . .

• Tetrahedrons:
– An all Tetrahedron mesh is generated.
• Patch Conforming:
g
– Expansion Factor controls the internal growth
rate of the tetrahedrons.
• Patch Independent Meshing:

– Faces and their boundaries may or may not be
respected during meshing operations.
– The exception is when a boundary condition is
applied to a surface, its boundaries are
respected.
– See
S nextt page for
f Patch
P t h Independent
I d d t options.
ti

• Patch Independent Options:

– Maximum Element Size: size of the initial element subdivision
– Approx Number of Elements: desired number of elements in model (can
be overridden by other mesh controls).
– Define defeaturing Tolerance – Filters out edges based on size and angle.
If set to “Yes”, a Defeaturing Tolerance field appears where a numerical
value is to be entered.
entered
• Note: defeaturing can cause a mesh to “ignore”, and therefore mesh over,
small features. The Mechanical documentation contains a full description and
examples.
• Continued . . .

• Curvature and Proximity Refinement = Yes:

– Define by: maximum element size or approximate number of elements.
– Defeaturing Tolerance (yes): adds tolerance controls to defeature edges.
– Curvature and Proximity:y automatically
y refines mesh based on curvature and p proximity
y of
features.
– Num Cells across Gap – Specifies the number of cells desired in narrow gaps. Refinement is
limited by the Min Size Limit.
– Span Angle – Mesh will subdivide in curved regions till the individual elements span the
specified angle. Limited by Min Size Limit.

• Hex Dominant : Creates a free hex dominant

mesh. Useful for meshing bodies that cannot be
swept Recommended for meshing bodies with
swept.
large interior volumes. (only available with
ANSYS Structural licenses and above)
• The hex-dominant meshing algorithm creates a

quad-dominant surface mesh first, then pyramid
and tetrahedral elements are filled in as needed.
• “Control Messages” will appear to warn user if volume
may not be suitable for hex-dominant meshing
Solid Model with Hex dominant

mesh :
Tetrahedrons – 443 (9%)
Hexahedron – 2801(62%)
( )
Wedge – 124 (2%)
Pyramid – 1107 (24%)
• Sweep :
– Sweep-mesh (hex and possible wedge) elements, otherwise tetrahedra.
– RMB on mesh branch to “Show Sweepable Bodies”.
– Type : Number of Divisions or Element Size in the sweep direction.
– Sweep Bias Type : Bias spacing in sweep direction.
– Src/Trg Selection :
• Automatic, manual source or manual source and target.
• Automatic Thin Model – One hex or wedge through the thickness.
thickness Can choose
between Solid Shell (SOLSH190) element and a Solid element (Solid185)
• Manual Thin Model – Allows user to pick a source face.
The solid body in the

middle is swept-meshed
whereas other volumes are
meshed with tetrahedral
elements.

… Local Meshing Controls Training Manual
• Sizing:
– “Element Size” specifies average element
edge length or number of divisions (choices
depend on geometry selection).
selection)
– “Soft” control may be overridden by other
mesh controls. “Hard” may not.
– Mesh biasing is available.
– Available options above depend on which
entities are scoped:
• Sphere of Influence sizing, see next page.
Entity Element Size # of Elem. Division Sphere of Influence

Bodies x x
Faces x x
Edges x x x
Vertices x
Face Sizing Applied to a

part.
… Local Mesh Controls Training Manual
• Sphere of Influence:
– Center is located using local coordinate system.
– All scoped entities within the sphere are affected by size settings.
“Sphere of Influence”
Scoped to single vertex (shown in red) has been
defined Elements lying in
defined.
Scoped
p to 2 surfaces
that sphere for that scoped
entity will have a given
average element size.

• Contact Sizing: generates similar-sized elements on

contact faces for face/face or face/edge contact region.
– “Element Size” or “Relevance” can be specified.
– Choose
Ch “C
“Contact
t t Si
Sizing”
i ” ffrom th
the “M
“Mesh
hCControl”
t l” menu andd
specify the contact region.
– Or drag and drop a Contact Region object onto the “Mesh”
object.
In this example, the contact

region between the two parts
h a Contact
has C t t Sizing
Si i Type
T
Relevance is specified. Note
that the mesh is now
consistent at the contact
region.

• Element refinement divides existing mesh

– An ‘initial’ mesh is created with global and local size controls first, then element
refinement
fi t is
i performed
f d att the
th specified
ifi d location(s).
l ti ( )
– Refinement range is 1 to 3 (minimum to maximum). Refinement splits the edges of
the elements in the ‘initial’ mesh in half. Refinement level controls the number of
iterations this is performed.
For example shown, the left side has

refinement level of 2 whereas the right
side is left untouched with default
mesh settings.

• Mapped Face Meshing: generates structured meshes on

surfaces:
– In example below, mapped face meshing on the
outer face provides a more uniform mesh pattern
pattern.
– If surface cannot be mapped mesh for any reason, meshing

will continue and this will be shown in Outline
O Tree with icon:
• Mapped quad or tri mesh also available for surface bodies

• Inflation Control: useful for adding layers of elements along specific

boundarys.
Note: Inflation is more often used in CFD and EMAG applications

pp but may
y
be useful for capturing stress concentrations etc. in structural
applications.
• Pinch: allows the removal of small features by “pinching”

out small edges and vertices (only).
– Master: geometry that retains the original geometry profile.
– Slave:
Sl geometry
t that
th t changes
h to
t move toward
t d the
th master.
t
– Can be automatic (Mesh level) or local (add Pinch branch).

… Meshing Failures Training Manual
• If the mesher is not able to generate well-shaped elements, an error message

will be returned:
– The problematic geometry will be highlighted on the screen, and a named

selection group “Problematic Geometry” will be created, so the user may review
the model.

… Meshing Failures Training Manual
• Meshing failures can be caused by a number of things:

– Inconsistent sizing controls specified on surfaces, which would result in
the creation of poorly-shaped elements
– Difficult CAD geometry, such as small slivers or twisted surfaces
– Stricter shape checking (“Aggressive” setting in Mesh branch)
• Some ways to avoid meshing failures:
– Specify more reasonable sizing controls on geometry
– Specify smaller sizing controls to allow the mesher to create better-
shaped elements
– In the CAD system, use hidden line removal plots to see sliver or
unwanted geometry and remove them
– Use virtual cells to combine sliver or very small surfaces
– This
Thi option
ti will
ill be
b discussed
di d nextt

… Virtual Topology Training Manual
• Virtual Topology: combines surfaces and edges for

meshing control:
– “Vi
“Virtual
t lT Topology”
l ”bbranchh iis added
dd d to
t the
th “Model”
“M d l”
branch.
– A “Virtual Cell” is a group of adjacent surfaces that
“acts” as a single surface.
– Interior lines of original surfaces will no longer be
honored by meshing process.
– For other operations such as applying Loads and
Supports, a virtual cell can be referenced as a single
entity.
– Virtual cells can be generated automatically via RMB:
• The “Behavior” controls the aggressiveness of the “Merge
Face Edges?”
Edges? setting for auto generation
generation.
• Example . . .

… Virtual Topology Example Training Manual
• Consider the example below:
Virtual
Cell

… Virtual Topology Example Training Manual
• Keep in mind that the topology can change!

– Example: a chamfer is added to the top surface in this virtual cell. The
interior lines are not recognized anymore.
Element’s edge is shown as a solid
line and the original chamfer and
Original mesh top surface is shown as a dotted
blue line.
The chamfer representation is no
longer present.
Mesh using virtual

topology
E. Named Selections Training Manual
• The Named Selection Toolbar provides functionality for grouping together

geometric entities:
Manipulate Show/Hide Supress/Unsuppress
Create Defined Names
– Named Selections allow users to group together vertices, edges, surfaces, or

bodies.
– Named Selections can be used for defining mesh controls,
controls applying loads and
supports, etc.
– Provides an easy method to reselect groups that will be referenced often
• Defining contact regions
• Scoping
S i results
lt
• Etc.
– Note, visibility and suppression are only applicable to body named selections.

… Defining Named Selections Training Manual
• To create Named Selections:

– Select the vertices, edges, surfaces, or bodies of interest,
then click on the “Create Selection Group” icon
– Enter a name in the dialog box
– The new group will appear in the Named Selection
Toolbar as well as in the Outline Tree
• Note:
– Only one type of entity can be in a particular
Named Selection. For example, vertices and
edges cannot exist in the same Named Selection.
– Named Selection groups can be imported from
some CAD systems (see Chapter 10)

… Using Named Selections Training Manual
• In many detail window fields Named Selections can be referenced

directly:
• Example (pressure load):
– In the Details view, change “Method”
“ from
f “Geometry
“G Selection”
S to “Named
“
Selection”
– Select the “Named Selection” from the pull-down menu
• Mechanical will filter non-applicable
pp types
yp of Named Selections.

… Using Named Selections Training Manual
• Named Selections can be used in other situations where geometry must

be picked:
– Select “Geometry” from the Details view to enter picking mode
– Toggle
T l the
th Named
N d Selection
S l ti to
t select
l t from
f the
th Toolbar
T lb
– Select the applicable choice:
• “Select Items in Group”, “Add to Current Selection”, “Remove from Current Selection”
– Then,, click on “Apply”
pp y in the Details view
2
1

F. Coordinate Systems Training Manual
• The Coordinate Systems branch is usually not displayed by default, but

it can be added from the Model tree
– Coordinate systems can be used for mesh controls, point masses,

directional loads, and results
• Initially the “Global
Global Coordinate
System” is added, based on
the origin of the CAD model.
• Local Coordinate Systems can be
imported from some CAD systems
(see Mechanical documentation)

… Coordinate Systems Training Manual
• Coordinate Systems can be defined by selecting

“Coordinate System” icon from the Context toolbar.
• Can be Cartesian or Cylindrical.
• Toolbar becomes available after CS is defined.
Delete
Translate Rotate Flip Move Up/Down
• Local coordinate systems are defined either by:

– Selecting geometry (Associative Coordinate System). The
coordinate system moves with the geometry. Its translation
and rotation are geometry dependent.
– Specifying
p y g coordinates (Non-Associative
( Coordinate
System). The coordinate system will remain as originally
defined ie: it is independent of geometry.

… Coordinate Systems Training Manual
• Coordinate systems can be used from pull-down menus in the Details

view in various applications (examples below) :
Directional Results
Point Masses
Sizing w/ Sphere of
Influence Option
Directional Loads
Directional Displacements

G. Workshop 3.2 – Mesh Control Training Manual
• Workshop 3.2 – Mesh Control

• Goal:
– Use the various mesh controls to enhance
the mesh for the solenoid model.


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Chapter 3

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary Release 12.1

• The capabilities described in this section are generally applicable to

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary Release 12.1

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary Release 12.1

• The Outline Tree is the main way of setting up an analysis

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary Release 12.1

• The Geometry branch lists the part(s)

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary Release 12.1

• Solid bodies are geometrically and spatially 3D or 2D:

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary Release 12.1

• Surface bodies are geometrically 2D but spatially 3D:

• In general, bodies and parts are the same. In DesignModeler however,

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary Release 12.1

• To assign material properties to a body

• For surface bodies a thickness needs to

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary Release 12.1

• A summary of bodies and assigned materials is available

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary Release 12.1

• When multiple parts are present, a means of defining the relationship

Surface contact elements can be visualized as a “skin”

• When an assembly is imported contact

• Note, automatic contact should always

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary Release 12.1

– Contact elements provide the relationship between parts.

Note the non-matching mesh at the

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary Release 12.1

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary Release 12.1

• “Go To” utilities allow a more detailed investigation of contact definitions:

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary Release 12.1

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary Release 12.1

• The Pinball region represents a contact detection zone:

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary Release 12.1

• Shell contact includes edge-to-face or edge-to-

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary Release 12.1

• Spot welds provide a means of connecting assemblies at discrete points:

Spot weld pairs

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary Release 12.1

• The “Worksheet” tab of the “Connections” branch provides a summary of

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary Release 12.1

• Workshop 3.1 – Contact Control

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary Release 12.1

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary Release 12.1

• Physics Based Meshing allows the user to specify the

• Setting the physics preference pre-configures the

• Note: only Mechanical meshing preferences are

- Relevance = coarse + Relevance = fine

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary Release 12.1

• Advanced global controls:

• Straight Sided Elements :

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary Release 12.1

• Initial Size Seed:

Part-Based Mesh Seeding

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary Release 12.1

• Local Mesh Controls can be applied to either a Geometry Selection or a

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary Release 12.1

• Method Control : Provides the user with options as

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary Release 12.1

• Patch Independent Meshing:

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary Release 12.1

• Patch Independent Options:

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary Release 12.1

• Curvature and Proximity Refinement = Yes: