Mechanical Tutorials

ANSYS, Inc. Release 2019 R2

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Table of Contents
1. Actuator Mechanism using Rigid Body Dynamics .................................................................................. 1
2. Nonlinear Static Structural Analysis of a Rubber Boot Seal ................................................................. 19
3. Cyclic Symmetry Analysis of a Rotor - Brake Assembly ........................................................................ 45
4. Steady-State and Transient Thermal Analysis of a Circuit Board .......................................................... 67
5. Fracture Analysis of a Double Cantilever Beam (DCB) using Pre-Meshed Crack .................................. 81
6. Fracture Analysis of an X-Joint Problem with Surface Flaw using Internally Generated Crack
Mesh ......................................................................................................................................................... 89
7. Using Finite Element Access to Resolve Overconstraint ....................................................................... 97
8. Simple Pendulum using Rigid Dynamics and Nonlinear Bushing ...................................................... 127
9. Track Roller Mechanism using Point on Curve Joints and Rigid Body Dynamics ............................... 133
Index ........................................................................................................................................................ 143

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Chapter 1: Actuator Mechanism using Rigid Body Dynamics
This example problem demonstrates the use of a Rigid Dynamic analysis to examine the kinematic
behavior of an actuator after moment force is applied to the flywheel.

Features Demonstrated
• Joints

• Joint loads

• Springs

• Coordinate system definition

• Body view

• Joint probes

Setting Up the Analysis System

1. Create the analysis system.

Start by creating a Rigid Dynamics analysis system and importing geometry.

a. Start ANSYS Workbench.

b. In the Workbench Project page, drag a Rigid Dynamics system from the Toolbox into the Project
Schematic.

c. Right-click the Geometry cell of the Rigid Dynamics system, and select Import Geometry>Browse.

d. Browse to open the Actuator.agdb file. This file is available here on the ANSYS customer site. A
check mark appears next to the Geometry cell in the Project Schematic when the geometry is loaded.

2. Continue preparing the analysis in the Mechanical Application.

a. In the Rigid Dynamics system schematic, right-click the Model cell, and select Edit. The Mechanical
Application opens and displays the model.

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Actuator Mechanism using Rigid Body Dynamics

The actuator mechanism model consists of four parts: (from left to right) the drive, link, actuator,
and guide.

b. From the Home tab, open the Units drop-down menu and select Metric (mm, kg, N, s, mV, mA).

Note

Stiffness behavior for all geometries are rigid by default.

3. Remove surface-to-surface contact.

Rigid dynamic models use joints to describe the relationships between parts in an assembly. As
such, the surface-to-surface contacts that were transferred from the geometry model are not needed
in this case. To remove surface-to-surface contact:

a. Expand the Connections branch in the Outline, then expand the Contacts branch. Highlight all of the
Contact Regions in the Contacts branch.

b. Right-click the highlighted contact regions, then select Delete.

Note that this step is not needed if your Mechanical options are configured so that automatic
contact detection is not performed upon attachment.

4. Define joints.

Joints will be defined in the model from left to right as shown below, using Body-Ground and
Body-Body joints as needed to solve the model.

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Prior to defining joints, it is useful to select the Body Views button in the Connections toolbar. The
Body Views button splits the graphics window into three sections: the main window, the reference
body window, and the mobile body window. Each window can be manipulated independently. This
makes it easier to select desired regions on the model when scoping joints.

To define joints:

a. Select the drive pin face and link center hole face as shown below, then select Body-Body > Revolute
from the Joint group on the Connections Context tab.

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Actuator Mechanism using Rigid Body Dynamics

Note

In the illustration above, the Explode feature of the Display tab was used to
separate the parts for easy selection.

b. Select the drive center hole face as shown below, then select Body-Ground>Revolute from the Joint
group on the Connections Context tab.

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c. Select the link face and actuator center hole face as shown below, then select Body-Body>Revolute
from the Joint group on the Connections Context tab.

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Actuator Mechanism using Rigid Body Dynamics

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d. Select the actuator face and the guide face as shown below, then select Body-Body>Translational
from the Joint group on the Connections Context tab.

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Actuator Mechanism using Rigid Body Dynamics

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e. Select the guide top face as shown below, then select Body-Ground>Fixed from the Joint group on
the Connections Context tab.

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Actuator Mechanism using Rigid Body Dynamics

5. Define joint coordinate systems.

The coordinate systems for each new joint must be properly defined to ensure correct joint motion.
Realign each joint coordinate system so that they match the corresponding systems pictured in step
4 (p. 2). To specify a joint coordinate system:

a. In the Outline, highlight a joint in the Joints branch.

b. In the joint Details view, click the Coordinate System field. The property becomes active.

c. Click the axis you want to change (X, Y, or Z). All six directions become visible as shown below.

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 d. Click the desired new axis to realign the joint coordinate system.

e. Select Apply in the Details view once the desired alignment is achieved.

6. Define a local coordinate system.

A local coordinate system must be created that will be used to define a spring that will be added
to the actuator.

a. Right-click the Coordinate Systems branch in the Outline, then select Insert>Coordinate System.

b. Right-click the new coordinate system, then select Rename. Enter Spring_fix as the name.

c. In the Details for the Spring_fix Coordinate System, define the Origin fields using the values shown
below:

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Actuator Mechanism using Rigid Body Dynamics

7. Add a spring to the actuator.

a. Select the bottom face of the actuator as shown below, then open the Spring drop-down menu from
the Connect group of the Connections Context tab and select Body-Ground.

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b. In the Reference section of the spring Details view, set the Coordinate System to Spring_fix.

c. In the Definition section of the spring Details view, specify:

Longitudinal Stiffness = 0.005 N/mm

Longitudinal Damping = 0.01 N*s/mm

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Actuator Mechanism using Rigid Body Dynamics

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8. Define analysis settings.

To define the length of the analysis:

a. Select the Analysis Settings branch in the Outline.

b. In the Analysis Settings Details, specify the Step End Time property equal to 60 s.

9. Define a joint load.

A joint load must be defined to apply a kinematic driving condition to the joint object. To define a
Joint Load:

a. Right-click the Transient object in the Outline and select Insert>Joint Load.

b. For the Joint Load, specify the following properties:

Joint = Revolute - Ground To Drive

Type = Moment
Magnitude = Specify as Tabular (Time)
Graph and Tabular Data windows will appear.

c. In the Tabular Data window, specify that Moment = 5000 at Time = 60, as shown below.

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Actuator Mechanism using Rigid Body Dynamics

10. Prepare the solution

a. Select Solution object in the Outline, then open the Deformation drop-down menu of the Results
group on the Context tab and select Total.

b. In the Outline, click and drag and drop the Revolute - Link to Actuator joint onto the Solution object.
This automatically creates a Joint Probe under the Solution object.

This is a shortcut for creating a joint probe that is already scoped to the joint in question. Because
we want to find the forces acting on this joint, the default settings in the details of the joint
probe are used.

c. Click the Solve button in the main toolbar.

11. Analyze the results

a. After the solution is complete, select Total Deformation result. A timeline animation of max/min de-
formation vs. time appears in the Graph window.

b. In the Graph window, select the Distributed animation option. Specify 100 frames and 4 seconds, as
shown below. (These values have been chosen for efficiency purposes, but they can be adjusted to
user preference.)

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 c. Click the Play button to view the animation.

d. Select the Joint Probe object in the Outline,

e. Specify the X Axis option in the Result Selection property.

f. Right-click the Joint Probe object, and select Evaluate All Results.

The results from the analysis show that the spring-based actuator is adding energy in to the system
that is reducing the cycle time.

End of tutorial.

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Chapter 2: Nonlinear Static Structural Analysis of a Rubber Boot
Seal
Problem Description
This is the same problem demonstrated in Chapter 29: Nonlinear Analysis of a Rubber Boot Seal in
the Mechanical APDL Technology Demonstration Guide. The following example is provided only to
demonstrate the steps to setup and analyze the same model using Mechanical.

This rubber boot seal example demonstrates geometric nonlinearities (large strain and large deformation),
nonlinear material behavior (rubber), and changing status nonlinearities (contact). The objective of this
example is to show the advantages of the surface-projection-based contact method and to determine
the displacement behavior of the rubber boot seal, stress results.

A rubber boot seal with half symmetry is considered for this analysis. There are three contact pairs
defined; one is rigid-flexible contact between the rubber boot and cylindrical shaft, and the remaining
two are self contact pairs on the inside and outside surfaces of the boot.

Features Demonstrated
• Hyperelastic Material Creation

• Remote Point

• Named Selection

• Manual Contact Generation

• Large Deflection

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Nonlinear Static Structural Analysis of a Rubber Boot Seal

• Multiple Load Steps

• Nodal Contacts

Setting Up the Analysis System

1. Create a Static Structural analysis system.

a. Start ANSYS Workbench.

b. On the Workbench Project page, drag a Static Structural system from the Toolbox to the Project
Schematic.

2. Create Materials.

For this tutorial, we are going to create a material to use during the analysis.

a. In the Static Structural schematic, right-click the Engineering Data cell and choose Edit. The Engineering
Data tab opens. Structural Steel is the default material.

b. From the Engineering Data tab, place your cursor in the Click here to add new material field and then
enter "Rubber Material".

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c. Expand the Hyperelastic Toolbox menu:

i. Select the Neo-Hookean option, right-click, and select Include Property.

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Nonlinear Static Structural Analysis of a Rubber Boot Seal

ii. Enter 1.5 for the Initial Shear Modulus (μ) Value and then select MPa for the Unit.

iii. Enter .026 for the Incompressibility Parameter D1 Value and then select MPa^-1 for the Unit.

d. Click the Return to Project toolbar button to return to the Project Schematic.

3. Attach Geometry.

a. In the Static Structural schematic, right-click the Geometry cell and choose Import Geometry>Browse.

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 b. Browse to the proper folder location and open the file BootSeal_Cylinder.agdb. This file is available
here on the ANSYS customer site.

Define the Model

The steps to define the model in preparation for analysis are described below. You may wish to refer
to the Modeling section of Chapter 29: Nonlinear Analysis of a Rubber Boot Seal in the Mechanical
APDL Technology Demonstration Guide to see the steps taken in the Mechanical APDL Application.

1. Launch Mechanical by right-clicking the Model cell and then choosing Edit. (Tip: You can also double-
click the Model cell to launch Mechanical).

2. Define Unit System: from the Home tab, select Metric (mm, kg, N, s, mV, mA) from the Units drop-down
menu. Also select Radians as the angular unit.

3. Define stiffness behavior and thickness: expand the Geometry folder and select the Surface Body object.
Set the Stiffness Behavior to Rigid and enter a Thickness value of 0.01 mm.

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Nonlinear Static Structural Analysis of a Rubber Boot Seal

4. In the Geometry folder, select the Solid geometry object. In the Details under the Material category, open
the Assignment property fly-out menu and select Rubber Material.

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5. Create a Cylindrical Coordinate System: Right-click the Coordinate Systems folder and select Insert>Co-
ordinate System. Highlight the new Coordinate System object, right-click, and rename it to "Cylindrical
Coordinate System".

Specify properties of the Cylindrical Coordinate System:

a. Under the Details view Definition category, change Type to Cylindrical and Coordinate System to
Manual.

b. Under the Origin group, change the Define By property to Global Coordinates.

c. Under Principal Axis select Z as the Axis value and set the Define By property to Global Y Axis.

d. Under Orientation About Principal Axis, select X as the Axis value and select Global Z Axis for the
Define By property.

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Nonlinear Static Structural Analysis of a Rubber Boot Seal

6. Insert Remote Point: Right-click the Model object and select Insert>Remote Point.

7. In Details view, scope the Geometry to the cylinder’s exterior surface, set X Coordinate, Y Coordinate,
and Z Coordinate to 0, and specify the Behavior property as Rigid.

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8. Define Named Selections:

a. Right-click on the Model object and select Insert>Named Selection.

b. Select the exterior surface of the cylinder, Apply it as the Geometry, right-click, and Rename it to
Cylinder_Outer_Surface.

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Nonlinear Static Structural Analysis of a Rubber Boot Seal

c. Right-click on the Surface Body object under the Geometry folder and select Hide Body. This step
eases the selection of the boot’s inner surfaces.

d. Highlight the Named Selection object and select Insert>Named Selection.

e. Select all of the inner faces of the boot seal as illustrated below and scope the faces as the Geometry
selection. Make sure that the Geometry property indicates that 24 Faces are selected.

Press the Ctrl key to select multiple surfaces individually or you can hold down the mouse button
and methodically drag the cursor across all of the interior surfaces. Note that the status bar at
the bottom of the graphics window displays the number of selected surfaces (highlighted in
green in the following image).

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f. Right-click the new Selection object and Rename it to Boot_Seal_Inner_Surfaces.

g. Again highlight the Named Selection object and select Insert>Named Selection.

h. Reorient your model and select all of the outer faces of the boot seal as illustrated below and scope
the faces as the Geometry selection. Make sure that the Geometry property indicates that 27 Faces
are selected.

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Nonlinear Static Structural Analysis of a Rubber Boot Seal

The selection process is the same. Press the Ctrl key to select multiple surfaces individually or
you can hold down the mouse button and methodically drag the cursor across all of the surfaces
(except the top surface of the boot).

i. Right-click the new Selection object and Rename it to Boot_Seal_Outer_Surfaces.

9. Insert a Connection Group and Manual Contacts:

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a. Highlight the Connections folder, right-click, and select Insert>Connections Group.

b. Right-click the Connections Group object and select Insert>Manual Contact Region. Notice that the
Connection Group is automatically renamed to Contacts and that the new contact region requires
definition.

c. Create a Rigid-Flexible contact between the rubber boot and cylindrical shaft by defining the following
Details view properties of the newly added Bonded-No Selection To No Selection.

• Scoping Method set to Named Selections.

• Contact set to Boot_Seal_Inner_Surfaces from drop-down list of Named Selections.

• Target set to Cylinder_Outer_Surface from drop-down list of Named Selections.

• Target Shell Face set to Top.

• Type set to Frictional.

• Frictional Coefficient Value equal to 0.2.

• Set Behavior set to Asymmetric.

• Detection Method set to On Gauss Point.

• Interface Treatment set to Add Offset, Ramped Effects.

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Nonlinear Static Structural Analysis of a Rubber Boot Seal

Note

The name of the contact, Bonded-No Selection To No Selection, is automatically

renamed to Frictional - Boot_Seal_Inner_Surfaces To Cylinder_Outer_Surface.

d. Right-click the Contacts folder object and select Insert>Manual Contact Region. Set Contact at inner
surface of the boot seal. In details view of the newly added Bonded-No Selection To No Selection,
change the following properties:

• Scope set to Named Selection.

• Contact and Target set to Boot_Seal_Inner_Surfaces.

• Type set to Frictional.

• Frictional Coefficient value equal to 0.2.

• Detection Method set to Nodal-Projected Normal From Contact.

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 Note

The Bonded-No Selection To No Selection is automatically renamed to Frictional

- Boot_Seal_Inner_Surfaces To Boot_Seal_Inner_Surfaces.

e. Right-click the Contacts folder object and select Insert>Manual Contact Region. Set Contact at inner
surface of the boot seal. Self Contact at outer surface of the boot seal. In details view of the newly added
Bonded-No Selection To No Selection, specify the following properties:

• Scoping Method set to Named Selection.

• Contact and Target set to Boot_Seal_Outer_Surfaces.

• Type set to Frictional.

• Frictional Coefficient Value equal to 0.2.

• Detection Method set to Nodal-Projected Normal From Contact.

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Nonlinear Static Structural Analysis of a Rubber Boot Seal

Note

Bonded-No Selection To No Selection is automatically renamed to Frictional -

Boot_Seal_Outer_Surfaces To Boot_Seal_Outer_Surfaces.

Analysis Settings
The problem is solved in three load steps, which include:

• Initial interference between the cylinder and boot.

• Vertical displacement of the cylinder (axial compression in the rubber boot).

• Rotation of the cylinder (bending of the rubber boot).

Load steps are specified through the properties of the Analysis Settings object.

1. Highlight the Analysis Settings object.

2. Define the following properties:

• Number of Steps equals 3.

• Auto Time Stepping set to On (from Program Controlled).

• Define By set to Substeps.

• Initial Substeps and Minimum Substeps set to 5.

• Maximum Substeps set to 1000.

• Large Deflection set to On.

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3. For the second load step, define the properties as follows:

• Current Step Number to 2.

• Auto Time Stepping set to On (from Program Controlled).

• Initial Substeps and Minimum Substeps set to 10.

• Maximum Substeps set to 1000.

4. For the third load step, define the properties as follows:

• Current Step Number to 3.

• Auto Time Stepping set to On (from Program Controlled).

• Initial Substeps and Minimum Substeps set to 20.

• Maximum Substeps set to 1000.

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Nonlinear Static Structural Analysis of a Rubber Boot Seal

Boundary Conditions
The model is constrained at the symmetry plane by restricting the out-of-plane rotation (in Cylindrical
Coordinate System). The bottom portion of the rubber boot is restricted in axial (Y axis) and radial dir-
ections (in Cylindrical Coordinate System).

1. Highlight the Static Structural (A5) object and:

• select the two faces (press the Ctrl key and then select each face) of the rubber boot seal as illustrated
here.

• right-click and select Insert>Displacement.

2. Set the Coordinate System property to Cylindrical Coordinate System and the Y Component property
to 0.

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3. Highlight the Static Structural (A5) object and select the face illustrated here. Insert another Displacement
and set the Y Component to 0 (Coordinate System should equal Global Coordinate System).

4. Insert another Displacement scoped as illustrated here and set the Coordinate System property to Cyl-
indrical Coordinate System and the X Component property to 0.

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Nonlinear Static Structural Analysis of a Rubber Boot Seal

5. Insert a Remote Displacement.

6. Set the Scoping Method of the Remote Displacement to Remote Point.

7. Select the Remote Point created earlier (only option) for the Remote Points property.

8. Change the X Component, Y Component, Z Component, Rotation X, Rotation Y, and Rotation Z prop-
erties to Tabular Data as illustrated below.

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9. Specify the following Tabular Data values:

• Y value for Step 2 and Step 3 as -10 mm.

• RZ value for Step 3 as 0.55 [rad].

Results and Solution

1. Insert a Total Deformation result from the Solution object.

2. Specify the Geometry as the boot body only, and set the Definition category property By as Time and the
Display Time property as Last.

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Nonlinear Static Structural Analysis of a Rubber Boot Seal

3. Insert a Stress>Equivalent (von-Mises) result from the Solution object.

4. Specify the Geometry as the boot body only, and set the Definition category property By as Time and
the Display Time property as Last.

5. Insert a Strain>Equivalent (von-Mises) result from the Solution object.

6. Specify the Geometry as the boot body only, and set the Definition category property By as Time and
the Display Time property as Last.

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7. Click the Solve button.

Note

• The default mesh settings mesh keep mid-side nodes in elements creating SOLID186 elements
(See Solution Information). You can drop mid-side nodes in Mesh Details view under the Advanced
group. This allows you to mesh and solve faster with lower order elements.

• Although very close, the mesh generated in this example may be slightly different than the one
generated in Chapter 29: Nonlinear Analysis of a Rubber Boot Seal in the Mechanical APDL
Technology Demonstration Guide.

Review Results
The solution objects should appear as illustrated below. You can ignore any warning messages.

For a more detailed examination and explanation of the results, see the Results and Discussion section
of Chapter 29: Nonlinear Analysis of a Rubber Boot Seal in the Mechanical APDL Technology
Demonstration Guide.

Total Deformation at Maximum Shaft Angle

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Nonlinear Static Structural Analysis of a Rubber Boot Seal

Equivalent Elastic Strain at Maximum Shaft Angle (at the end of 3 seconds)

Equivalent Stress (Von-Mises Stress) at Maximum Shaft Angle

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End of tutorial.

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Chapter 3: Cyclic Symmetry Analysis of a Rotor - Brake Assembly
Program Description
This tutorial demonstrates the use of cyclic symmetry analysis features in the Mechanical to study a
sector model consisting of a rotor and brake assembly in frictional contact. With increased loading of
the brake, the contact status between the pad and the rotor changes from “near”, to “sliding”, to
“sticking”. Each of these contact states affects the natural frequencies and resulting mode shapes of
the assembly. Three pre-stress modal analyses are used to verify this phenomenon.

Features Demonstrated
• Cyclic Regions

• Named Selections based on Criteria

• Thermal Steady-State Analysis with Cyclic Symmetry

• Static Structural Analysis with Cyclic Symmetry

• Modal Analysis with Cyclic Symmetry

• Generation of Restart Points

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Cyclic Symmetry Analysis of a Rotor - Brake Assembly

• Modal Analysis with Nonlinear Prestress (Linear Perturbation)

Note

The procedural steps in this tutorial assume that you are familiar with basic navigation
techniques within the Mechanical application. If you are new to using the application, consider
running the tutorial: “Steady-State and Transient Thermal Analysis of a Circuit Board” before
attempting to run this tutorial.

Analysis System Layout

We will tour the different analysis systems that can leverage cyclic symmetry functionality. These are
thermal, static structural and modal analyses:

• A steady-state thermal analysis will be used to calculate the temperature distribution for the evaluation of
any temperature-dependent material properties or thermal expansions in subsequent analyses.

• A nonlinear static structural analysis is configured to represent the mechanical loading of the brake onto
the rotor. Nonlinearities from large deformation and changes in contact status are included.

• Modal analyses, each at different stages of frictional contact status, are established to compare the free vi-
bration responses of the model.

1. Create the analysis systems.

You need to establish a Steady-State Thermal analysis that is linked to a Static Structural analysis,
then establish three Modal analyses that are linked to the Static Structural analysis.

a. Start ANSYS Workbench.

b. From the Toolbox, drag a Steady-State Thermal system onto the Project Schematic.

c. From the Toolbox, drag and drop a Static Structural system onto the Steady-State Thermal system
such that Cells 2, 3, 4, and 6 are highlighted in red.

The systems should appear as follows:

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d. To measure the free vibration response, go to the Toolbox, drag and drop a Modal system onto the
Static Structural system such that cells 2, 3, 4, and 6 are highlighted in red.

e. Repeat the above step two more times to complete adding the remaining analysis systems. The layout
of the analysis systems and interconnections in the Project Schematic should appear as shown below.

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Cyclic Symmetry Analysis of a Rotor - Brake Assembly

2. Attach geometry.

a. Right-click the Geometry cell of the Steady-State Thermal system and select Import Geometry.

b. Browse to and open the file Rotor_Brake.agdb. This file is available for download here on the ANSYS
customer site.

Define the Cyclic Symmetry Model

We now specify the cyclic symmetry for our quarter sector model (N = 4, 90 degrees) and prepare other
general aspects of modeling in the Mechanical application. To setup a cyclic symmetry analysis, Mech-
anical uses a Cyclic Region object. This object requires selection of the sector boundaries, together
with a cylindrical coordinate system whose Z axis is collinear with the axis of symmetry, and whose Y
axis distinguishes the low and high boundaries.

1. Launch Mechanical and set unit systems.

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 a. In the Steady-State Thermal schematic, right-click the Model cell, and then choose Edit. The application
opens and displays the model.

b. From the Tools group on the Home tab, open the Units drop-down menu and select Metric (mm, kg,
N, s, mV, mA).

2. Define the Coordinate System to specify the axis of symmetry.

a. Right-click the Coordinate Systems object in the Outline and select Insert> Coordinate System.

b. In the Details view of the newly-created Coordinate System, set the Type property to Cylindrical and
the Define By property to Global Coordinates.

3. Define the Cyclic Region.

a. Right-click the Model object and select Insert > Symmetry.

b. Right-click Symmetry and select Insert > Cyclic Region. The direction of the Y-axis should be compatible
with the selection of the low and high boundaries. The low boundary is designated as the one with a
lower value of Y or azimuth.

c. Select the three faces that have lower azimuth for the low boundary as illustrated in blue in the image
below.

d. Select the three matching faces on the opposite end of the sector for the high boundary as illustrated
in red in the image below.

4. Define Connections. Frictional contact exists between the rotor and brake pad, whereas bonded contact
exists between the wall and the rotor.

a. Expand the Connections folder in the tree, then expand the Contacts folder. Within the Contacts
folder, two contact regions were automatically detected: Contact Region and Contact Region 2.

b. Right-click the Contacts folder and select Renamed Based on Definition. The contact region names
automatically change to Bonded - Pad to Rotor and Bonded - Blade to Wall respectively.

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Cyclic Symmetry Analysis of a Rotor - Brake Assembly

c. Highlight Bonded - Pad to Rotor and in the Details view, set Type to Frictional. Note that the name
of the object changes accordingly.

d. In the Friction Coefficient field, type 0.2 and press Enter.

Note

For higher values of contact friction coefficient a damped modal analysis would be
needed. At a level of 0.2 damping effects are being neglected.

e. Verify that the following additional properties are specified as shown.

Generate the Mesh

In the following section we’ll use mesh controls to obtain a mesh of regular hexahedral elements. The
Cyclic Region object will guarantee that matching meshes are generated on the low and high boundaries
of the cyclic sector.

Taking advantage of the shape and dimensions of the model, Named Selections will be used to choose
the edge selections for each mesh control.

Mesh control: Element Size on Pad-Wall-Rotor:

1. Create a Named Selection for this Mesh Control.

a. Right-click the Model object and select Insert > Named Selection.

b. Highlight the Selection object and set the Scoping Method property to Worksheet.

c. Program the Worksheet, as shown below, to select the edges at 90 degrees of azimuth in the cylindrical
coordinate system, keeping those in the z-axis range [1mm, 6 mm] (to remove the thickness of the
wall). To add rows to the Worksheet, right-click in the table and select the Add option.

d. Click the Generate button. The Geometry property should display 11 Edges.

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 e. Rename the object to Edges for Wall Rotor Pad Sector Boundary. The selection should display as
follows:

Tip

It may be useful to undock the Worksheet window and tile it with the Geometry
view as shown above.

2. Insert a Mesh Sizing control.

a. Right-click the Mesh object and select Insert > Sizing.

b. Set Scoping Method to Named Selection.

c. Choose the named selection defined in the previous step: Edges for Wall Rotor Pad Sector Boundary.

d. Set the Element Size property to 0.5 mm.

e. Set the Behavior property to Soft (default).

Mesh control: Number of Divisions on Pad-Rotor:

1. Create a Named Selection to pick the circular edges in the orifice of the pad and rotor.

This Named Selection will pick the circular edges in the orifice of the pad and rotor, which is within
a radius of 5 mm.

a. Right-click on Model and choose Insert> Named Selection.

b. Highlight the Selection object, and set Scoping Method to Worksheet.

c. Rename the object to Edges for Rotor Pad Orifice.

d. Program the Worksheet, as shown below.

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Cyclic Symmetry Analysis of a Rotor - Brake Assembly

e. Click the Generate button. The Geometry property should display 4 Edges.

2. Insert a Mesh Sizing Control as before to select this Named Selection.

a. Right-click the Mesh object and select Insert > Sizing.

b. Set Scoping Method to Named Selection.

c. Select the named selection defined in the previous step: Edges for Rotor Pad Orifice.

d. Set the Type property to Number of Divisions and specify the Number of Divisions property to 9.

e. Set Behavior property to Hard.

Mesh control: Element Size on Wall-Blade

1. Create a Named Selection object to pick the thicknesses of the Wall and Blade.

a. Right-click on Model and choose Insert> Named Selection.

b. Highlight the Selection object, and set Scoping Method to Worksheet.

c. Rename the object to Edges for Wall Blade Thicknesses.

d. Specify the Worksheet as shown below.

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 e. Click the Generate button. The Geometry property should display 16 Edges.

2. Insert a Mesh Sizing Control as before to select this Named Selection.

a. Right-click the Mesh object and select Insert > Sizing.

b. Set the Scoping Method property to Named Selection.

c. Select the Named Selection defined in the previous step: Edges for Wall Blade Thicknesses.

d. Set the Element Size property to 1 mm.

e. Set Behavior property to Hard.

Mesh Control: Number of Divisions on Blade - Longer Edges

1. Create a Named Selection object to pick the longer edges of the Blade.

a. Right-click the Model object and select Insert > Named Selection.

b. Highlight the Selection object, and set Scoping Method to Worksheet.

c. Rename the object to Edges for Blade.

d. Program the Worksheet as shown below.

e. Click the Generate button. The Geometry property should display 2 Edges.

2. Insert a Mesh Sizing Control as before to select this Named Selection.

a. Right-click the Mesh object and select Insert > Sizing.

b. Set the Scoping Method property to Named Selection.

c. Select the named selection defined in the previous step: Edges for Blade.

d. Set the Type property to Number of Divisions and set the Number of Divisions property to 14.

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Cyclic Symmetry Analysis of a Rotor - Brake Assembly

e. Set the Behavior property to Hard.

Mesh Control: Number of Divisions on Blade - Shorter Edges

1. Create a Named Selection object to pick the shorter edges of the Blade.

a. Right-click the Model object and select Insert > Named Selection.

b. Highlight the Selection object, and set the Scoping Method property to Worksheet.

c. Rename the object to Edges for Blade 2.

d. Specify the Worksheet as shown below.

e. Click the Generate button. The Geometry property should display 2 Edges.

2. Insert a Mesh Sizing Control as before to select this Named Selection.

a. Right-click the Mesh object and select Insert > Sizing.

b. Set Scoping Method to Named Selection.

c. Select the Named Selection defined in the previous step: Edges for Blade 2.

d. Set the Type to Number of Divisions and set the Number of Divisions property to 1 (default).

e. Set the Behavior property to Hard.

Mesh Control: Method on Pad-Rotor-Wall-Blade

1. Insert a Sweep Method control.

a. Right-click the Mesh object and select Insert > Method.

b. Select all the bodies of the model by right-clicking in the Geometry window, selecting Select All, and
then selecting the Apply button of the Geometry property in the Details. The key combination Ctrl+A
selects all bodies.

c. In the Details, set the Method property to Sweep.

d. Set the Free Face Mesh Type property to All Quad.

Generate the Mesh

• For convenience, select all six mesh controls defined, right-click, and select Rename Based on Definition.

• Right-click the Mesh object and select Generate Mesh. The mesh should appear as shown below:

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Cyclic Symmetry Analysis of a Rotor - Brake Assembly

Steady-State Thermal Analysis

We now proceed to define the boundary conditions for a thermal analysis featuring cyclic symmetry.
Thermal boundary conditions are prescribed throughout the model while steering clear of the faces
comprising the sector boundaries since temperature constraints are already implied there.

1. Define a convection interface.

a. Right-click the Steady-State Thermal object and select Insert > Convection.

b. Select the outer faces of the Wall and the Blade as shown in the figure (8 Faces).

c. Specify a Film Coefficient of air by right-clicking on the property and choosing Import Temperature
Dependent upon which you choose Stagnant Air - Simplified Case.

2. Insulate the upper and lower faces of the Wall.

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 • Select the upper and lower faces of the Wall, then right-click and choose Insert> Perfectly Insulated.

3. Apply a temperature load to the Pad and Rotor.

a. Select the remaining faces on the assembly on the Pad and the Rotor, then right-click and choose Insert>
Temperature. Exclude any faces on the sector boundaries or in the frictional contact.

b. Type 100°C as the Magnitude and press Enter.

4. Solve and review the temperature distribution.

a. Right-click the Solution object of the Steady-State Thermal analysis and select Insert > Thermal >
Temperature.

b. Solve the steady-state thermal analysis.

c. Review the temperature result by highlighting the Temperature result object.

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Cyclic Symmetry Analysis of a Rotor - Brake Assembly

Note

Although insignificant in this model, temperature variations and their effect on the
structural material properties are generally important to the formulation of physically
accurate models.

Static Structural Analysis

In this analysis, the brake is loaded onto the rotor in a single load step. The contact status is monitored
at various stages of loading and three points are selected as pre-stress conditions for subsequent
modal analyses. Because both contact and geometric nonlinearities are present, each pre-stress condition
will present a different effective stiffness matrix to its corresponding modal analysis.

The solver uses restart points, generated in the static analysis, to record the snapshot of the nonlinear
tangent stiffness matrices and transfers them into the subsequent linear systems. This technique is re-
ferred to as Linear Perturbation.

1. Apply the pressure and boundary conditions to engage the brake pad into the rotor.

a. Select the bottom face of the Pad as shown below. Right-click the Static Structural object in the tree
and choose Insert> Pressure.

b. In the Details view, open the Magnitude flyout menu, choose Function, and specify the entry:
=time*time*4000. Press Enter. This represents a quadratic function reaching 4000 MPa by the end
of the load step.

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c. Set up the frictionless supports on the faces of Blade, Wall and Pad as shown below.

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Cyclic Symmetry Analysis of a Rotor - Brake Assembly

2. Configure the Analysis Settings.

a. Set Auto Time Stepping to On.

b. Set Define By to Substeps.

c. Set Initial Substeps to 30.

d. Set Minimum Substeps to 10.

e. Set Maximum Substeps to 30.

f. Set Large Deflection to On to activate geometric nonlinearities.

g. To ensure that Restart Points are generated, under Restart Controls, set Generate Restart Points to
Manual, and set the Load Steps, Substeps, and Maximum Points to Save Per Step properties to All.

3. Proceed to solve the model using the standard procedure.

Reviewing the contact status changes during the course of the load application

The contact status will change with increasing loads from Near, to Sliding, to Sticking. A status change
from Near to Sliding reflects the engagement of contact impenetrability conditions (normal direction).
A change from Sliding to Sticking, reflects additional engagement of contact friction conditions (tangential
direction). This progression will generally reflect an increased effective stiffness in the tangent stiffness
matrix, which can be illustrated by a Force-deflection curve:

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To review the contact status, insert a Contact Tool from the Solution folder. To display only the contact
results at the frictional contact, unselect Bonded - Wall To Blade in the Contact Tool Worksheet. Insert
three different Contact Status results with display times of 0.03, 0.5 and 0.8 seconds. This should reveal
the progression in contact status as shown below (from left to right):

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Cyclic Symmetry Analysis of a Rotor - Brake Assembly

The legend for these contact status plots is as follows:

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• Yellow - Near

• Light Orange - Sliding

• Dark Orange - Sticking

Modal Analysis
There are three modal analyses to study the effect of contact status and stress stiffening on the free
vibration response of the structure. Each of these will be based on a different restart point in the static
structural analysis.

To see all available restart points, you can inspect the timeline graph displayed when the Analysis
Settings object of the Static Structural analysis is selected after solving. Restart points are denoted as
blue triangle marks atop the graph:

To select the restart point of interest, go to the Pre-Stress (Static Structural) object under each Modal
Analysis. Make sure Pre-Stress Define By is set to Time and specify the time. The object will acknow-
ledge the restart point in the Reported Loadstep, Reported Substep and Reported Time fields.

Configure the Modal analyses as follows:

• In Modal 1 set Pre-Stress Time to 0.033 seconds.

• In Modal 2 set Pre-Stress Time to 0.5 seconds.

• In Modal 3 set Pre-Stress Time to 0.8 seconds.

Because the boundary conditions (that is, the frictionless supports) are automatically imported from
the static analysis, we can proceed directly to solve.

Solving and Reviewing Modal Results

We'll monitor the lowest frequencies of vibration which belong to Harmonic Indices 0 (symmetric) and
2 (anti-symmetric).

1. Solve each Modal analysis.

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Cyclic Symmetry Analysis of a Rotor - Brake Assembly

2. When the solutions complete, go to the Tabular Data window of each modal analysis. You can inspect
the listing of modes and their frequencies. Because our structure has a symmetry of N=4, there will be
three solutions, namely for Harmonic Indices 0, 1 and 2.

3. In the Tabular Data window of each modal analysis, select the two rows for Harmonic Index 0 - Mode 1
and Harmonic Index 2 - Mode 1. Right-click and choose Create Mode Shape Results.

The image below shows this view for the first Modal analysis:

An interesting alternative is to display the sorted frequency spectrum. You may review this by setting
the X-Axis property to Frequency on any of the Total Deformation results in each modal analysis:

At this point, each Modal analysis should have two results for Total Deformation to inspect the first
Mode of Harmonic Indices 0 and 2.

Recall the meaning of Harmonic Index solutions and how they apply to the model. Harmonic Index
0 represents the constant offset in the discrete Fourier Series representation of the model and cor-
responds to equal values of every transformed quantity, for example, displacements in X, Y and Z
directions, in consecutive sectors. Thus deformations that are axially positive in one sector will have
the same axially positive value in the next. The following picture compiles, from left to right, the
mode shapes for the Near, Sliding and Sticking status at Harmonic Index 0:

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 Notice how increased engagement of the frictional contact in the assembly has the effect of producing
higher frequency vibrations. Also, the mode of vibration goes from being localized at the contact
interface when the contact is Near, but is forced to distribute throughout the wall of the rotor as
the contact sticks.

Note

You may need to specify Auto Scale on the Results toolbar so the mode shapes are
plotted as shown.

Harmonic Index 2 solutions correspond to N/2 for our sector (90 degrees or N = 4). This Harmonic
Index, sometimes called the asymmetric term in the Fourier Series, represents alternation of quant-
ities in consecutive sectors. A positive axial displacement at a node in one sector becomes negative
in the next, a radially outward displacement in one sector will become inward in the next, and so
on. The following are the results for the first mode of this Harmonic Index:

The lowest mode shows nearly independent vibration of the rotor relative to the blade. On the
highest mode, sticking reduces this relative movement.

For more information about post-processing for Cyclic Symmetry, and especially on features for
postprocessing degenerate Harmonic Indices (those between 0 and N/2), see the Reviewing Results
for Cyclic Symmetry in a Modal Analysis section in the Mechanical User's Guide.

End of tutorial.

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Chapter 4: Steady-State and Transient Thermal Analysis of a Circuit
Board
Problem Description
The circuit board shown below includes three chips that produce heat during normal operation. One
chip stays energized as long as power is applied to the board, and two others energize and de-energize
periodically at different times and for different durations. A Steady-State Thermal analysis and Transient
Thermal analysis are used to study the resulting temperatures caused by the heat developed in these
chips.

Features Illustrated
• Linked analyses

• Attaching geometry

• Model manipulation

• Mesh method and sizing controls

• Constant and time-varying loads

• Solving

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Steady-State and Transient Thermal Analysis of a Circuit Board

• Time-history results

• Result probes

• Charts

Procedure
1. Create analysis system.

You need to establish a transient thermal analysis that is linked to a steady-state thermal analysis.

a. Start ANSYS Workbench.

b. From the Toolbox, drag a Steady-State Thermal system onto the Project Schematic.

c. From the Toolbox, drag a Transient Thermal system onto the Steady-State Thermal system such
that cells 2, 3, 4, and 6 are highlighted in red.

d. Release the mouse button to define the linked analysis system.

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2. Attach geometry.

a. In the Steady-State Thermal schematic, right-click the Geometry cell, and then choose Import Geo-
metry.

b. Browse to open the file BoardWithChips.x_t. This file is available here on the ANSYS customer
site.

3. Continue preparing the analysis in the Mechanical Application.

a. In the Steady-State Thermal schematic, right-click the Model cell, and then choose Edit. The Mechan-
ical Application opens and displays the model.

b. For convenience, use the Rotate toolbar button to manipulate the model so it displays as shown below.

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Steady-State and Transient Thermal Analysis of a Circuit Board

Note

You can perform the same model manipulations by holding down the mouse wheel
or middle button while dragging the mouse.

c. From the Tools group on the Home tab, open the Units drop-down menu and select Metric (m, kg,
N, s, V, A).

4. Set mesh controls and generate mesh.

Setting a specific mesh method control and mesh sizing controls will ensure a good quality mesh.

Mesh Method:

a. Right-click the Mesh object and select Insert > Method.

b. Select all bodies by right-clicking in the Geometry window and selecting Select All. Click the Apply
button for the Geometry property in the Details view.

c. Set the Method property to Hex Dominant and the Free Face Mesh Type property to All Quad.

Mesh Body Sizing – Board Components:

a. Right-click the Mesh object and select Insert > Sizing.

b. Select all bodies except the board by first enabling the Body selection toolbar button, then holding
the Ctrl keyboard button and clicking on the 15 individual bodies. Click the Apply button for the
Geometry property in the Details view when you are done selecting the bodies.

c. Change Element Size from Default to 0.0009 m.

Mesh Body Sizing – Board:

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 a. Right-click the Mesh object and select Insert > Sizing.

b. Select the board only (1 Body) and change Element Size from Default to 0.002 m.

Generate Mesh:

• Right-click the Mesh object and select Generate Mesh.

5. Apply internal heat generation load to chip.

The chip on the board that is constantly energized represents an internal heat generation load of
5e7 W/m3.

a. Select the chip shown below by first enabling the Body selection toolbar button, then clicking on the
chip.

b. Right-click the Steady-State Thermal object and select Insert > Internal Heat Generation.

c. Enter 5e7 in the Magnitude property and press Enter.

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Steady-State and Transient Thermal Analysis of a Circuit Board

General items to note:

• The applied loads are shown using color coded labels in the graphics.

• Time is used even in a steady-state thermal analysis.

• The default end time of the analysis is 1 second.

• In a steady-state thermal analysis, the loads are ramped from zero. You can edit the table of load vs.
time to modify the load behavior.

• You can also type in expressions that are functions of time for loads.

6. Apply a convection load to the entire circuit board.

The entire circuit board is subjected to a convection load representing Stagnant Air - Simplified
Case.

a. Select all bodies by right-clicking in the Geometry window and selecting Select All.

b. Choose Convection from the Environment toolbar.

c. Import temperature dependent convection coefficient and choose Stagnant Air - Simplified Case.
Note that the Ambient Temperature defaults to 22oC.

i. Click the flyout menu in the Film Coefficient field and choose Import Temperature Dependent
(adjacent to the thermometer icon).

ii. Click the radio button for Stagnant Air - Simplified Case, then click OK.

7. Prepare for a temperature result.

The resulting temperature of the entire model will be reviewed.

• Right-click the Solution object and select Insert > Thermal > Temperature.

8. Solve the steady-state thermal analysis.

• Select the Solve option.

9. Review the temperature result.

• Select the Temperature object.

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 You have completed the steady-state thermal analysis, which is the first part of the overall objective
for this tutorial. You will perform the transient thermal analysis in the remaining steps.

Items to note in preparation for the transient thermal analysis:

• If you highlight Initial Temperature object under the Transient Thermal object, you will notice in the
Details view the read only displays of Initial Temperature and Initial Temperature Environment. In
general, the initial temperature can be:

– Uniform Temperature: where you specify a temperature for all bodies in the structure at time = 0,
or

– Non-Uniform Temperature: (as in this example) where you import the temperature specification at
time = 0 from a steady-state analysis.

• The initial temperature environment is from the steady-state thermal analysis that you just performed.
By default the last set of results from the steady-state analysis will be used as the initial condition. You
can specify a different set (different time point) if multiple result sets are available.

10. Specify a time duration for the transient analysis.

A time duration of the transient study will be 200 seconds.

• Under Transient Thermal analysis, select the Analysis Settings object and enter 200 in the Step End
Time property. Accept the default initial, maximum, and minimum time step controls for this analysis.

11. Apply internal heat generation to simulate on/off switching on first chip.

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Steady-State and Transient Thermal Analysis of a Circuit Board

A chip on the board is energized between 20 and 40 seconds and represents an internal heat gen-
eration load of 5e7 W/m3 during this period.

a. Select the chip shown below using Body selection filter.

b. Right-click the Transient Thermal object and select Insert > Internal Heat Generation.

c. Specify the Magnitude property as Tabular (Time). Enter the following data in the Tabular Data
window:

• Time = 0; Internal Heat Generation = 0

Note

Enter each of the following sets of data in the row beneath the end time of 200 s.

• Time = 20; Internal Heat Generation = 0

• Time = 20.1; Internal Heat Generation = 5e7

• Time = 40; Internal Heat Generation = 5e7

• Time = 40.1; Internal Heat Generation = 0

The Graph window reflects the data that you entered.

General items to note:

• Loads can be specified as one of three types:

– Constant: remains constant throughout the time history of the transient.

– Tabular (Time): (as in this example) define a table of load vs. time.

– Function: enter a function such as “=10*sin(time)” to define a variation of load with respect to
time. The function definition requires you to start with a ‘=‘ as the first character.

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12. Apply internal heat generation to simulate on/off switching on second chip.

Another chip on the board is energized between 60 and 70 seconds and represents an internal heat
generation load of 1e8 W/m3 during this period.

a. Select the chip shown below using the Body selection filter.

b. Right-click the Transient Thermal object and select Insert > Internal Heat Generation.

c. Specify the Magnitude property as Tabular (Time). Enter the following data in the Tabular Data
window:

• Time = 0; Internal Heat Generation = 0

Note

Enter each of the following sets of data in the row beneath the end time of 200 s.

• Time = 60; Internal Heat Generation = 0

• Time = 60.1; Internal Heat Generation = 1e8

• Time = 70; Internal Heat Generation = 1e8

• Time = 70.1; Internal Heat Generation = 0

The Graph window reflects the data that you entered.

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Steady-State and Transient Thermal Analysis of a Circuit Board

13. Prepare for a temperature result.

The resulting temperature of the entire model will be reviewed.

• Right-click the Solution object and select Insert > Thermal > Temperature.

14. Solve the transient thermal analysis.

• Right-click the Solution object and select Solve. The solution is complete when green checks are displayed
next to all of the objects. You can ignore the Warning message and click the Graph tab.

15. Review the time history of the temperature result for the entire model.

• Highlight the Temperature object. The time history of the temperature result for the entire model is
evaluated and displayed.

– For the selected result, you can:

– View the Minimum, Maximum, and Average values of the temperature result in the Tabular Data
window.

– Review the result value of a particular time point by selecting the desired point in the Graph window
or right-clicking a point and selecting the Retrieve this Result option. You can also make selections
in the Tabular Data window to retrieve result values.

– Animate the solution.

16. Review the time history of the temperature result for each of the chips.

Temperature probes are used to obtain temperatures at specific locations on the model.

a. Right-click the Solution object and select Insert > Probe > Temperature.

b. Select the chip to which internal heat generation load was applied in the Steady State analysis and click
the Apply button in the Details view.

c. Follow the same procedure to insert two more probes for the two chips with internal heat generations
in the transient thermal analysis.

d. Right-click the Solution object or Temperature Probe object and select Evaluate All Results.

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17. Plot probe results on a chart.

a. Select the three Temperature Probes and select the Chart option in the Insert group of the Result
Context tab. A Chart object is added to the tree.

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Steady-State and Transient Thermal Analysis of a Circuit Board

b. Right-click in the white space outside the chart in the Graph window and choose Show Legend.

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 c. In the Details view, you can change the X Axis variable as well as selectively omit data from being dis-
played.

You have completed the transient thermal analysis and accomplished the second part of the overall
objective for this tutorial.

End of tutorial.

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Chapter 5: Fracture Analysis of a Double Cantilever Beam (DCB)
using Pre-Meshed Crack
Problem Description
The Double Cantilever Beam shown below is cracked at the center. This problem uses an imported
model, already meshed, and then computes fracture parameters (energy release rates) using the Virtual
Crack Close Technique (VCCT) on a static structural analysis to determine the impact of a catastrophic
failure to the structure.

Features Illustrated
• Importing a meshed model using Finite Element Modeler.

• Nodal named selections.

• Coordinate systems.

• Crack definition.

• Fracture Results

• Charting.

Procedure
1. Import the meshed model.

a. Start ANSYS Workbench.

b. From the Toolbox, under Component Systems, drag a External Model system onto the Project
Schematic.

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Fracture Analysis of a Double Cantilever Beam (DCB) using Pre-Meshed Crack

c. Right-click the Setup cell and select Edit.

d. On the External Model tab, select the option in the Location column and then select Browse. Browse
to open the file 3d_vcct. This file is available here on the ANSYS customer site.

e. Select the Data Source row for your file. In the Definition category of the properties pane (lower portion
of the window), make sure that Metric (kg, m, s, °C, A, N, V) is specified.

f. Return to the Project tab.

g. Right-click the External Model Setup cell and select Update.

h. From the Toolbox, drag a Static Structural system onto the Project Schematic.

i. Drag the Setup cell of the External Model system on to the Model cell of the Static Structural system.

j. Right-click the Model cell of the Static Structural system and select Refresh.

2. Right-click the Model cell and select Edit. Mechanical opens and displays the model. Note that the mesh
is composed of linear elements, and VCCT is only applicable to linear elements. Orient the model as shown
below.

3. Create a nodal named selection.

a. From the Graphics Toolbar, select the Edge selection option and the Wireframe display option.

b. In the Outline, right-click Model object and select Insert>Named Selection.

c. In the Geometry window, select the crack front edge.

d. In the Details pane, for Geometry, click Apply. The named selection is created for the selected edge.

e. In the Outline, under Named Selections, right-click the new named selection, select Rename, and
enter Crack_Front as the name.

f. Right-click the Crack_Front named selection and select Create Nodal Named Selection.

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 g. In the Outline, under Named Selections, right-click the new named selection, select Rename, and
enter Crack_Nodes as the name.

4. Create a coordinate system with a Y-axis aligned to crack normal.

a. In the Details view, select Coordinate System.

b. In the Geometry window, select the fours edges lying in the plane of the crack.

c. Right-click and select Insert > Coordinate System. The origin of the coordinate system should be on
the open side of the crack.

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Fracture Analysis of a Double Cantilever Beam (DCB) using Pre-Meshed Crack

d. In the Details view, for Geometry, click Apply.

e. Under the Principal Axis category, set the Axis property to Y and the Define by property to Global Z
Axis.

f. From the Coordinate System Context menu, select the Flip Y option in the Transformation group to
rotate the Y axis by -90°.

g. Accept all other values at their defaults.

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5. Define the crack.

a. Right-click the Model object and select Insert > Fracture.

b. Right-click the Fracture object and select Insert > Pre-Meshed Crack.

c. In the Details View, for Crack Front (Named Selection), select the Crack_Nodes node-based named
selection.

d. For Coordinate System, select the coordinate system you defined.

6. Apply loads.

a. Select the Static Structural object, right-click, and select Insert>Fixed Support.

b. from the Graphics Toolbar, select the Face selection option.

c. In the Geometry window, select the face on the closed side of the crack.

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Fracture Analysis of a Double Cantilever Beam (DCB) using Pre-Meshed Crack

d. In the Details view, for Geometry, click Apply.

e. Right-click and select Insert>Displacement.

f. In the Graphics Toolbar, select the Edge selection option.

g. In the Geometry window, select the top edge on the open side of the crack.

h. In the Details view, for Geometry, click Apply.

i. Select the Z Component and select Tabular.

j. In the second row (2), for Z[m], enter -5.e-003.

k. Right-click and select Insert>Displacement.

l. In the Geometry window, select the bottom edge on the open side of the crack.

m. In the Details view, for Geometry, click Apply.

n. Select the Z Component and select Tabular.

o. In the second row (2), for Z[m], enter 5.e-003.

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7. Define results.

a. In the Outline, right-click the Solution object and select Insert > Fracture Tool.

b. In the Details view for the Crack Selection property, select Pre-Meshed Crack.

c. Right-click the Fracture Tool folder and select Insert > VCCT Results > VCCT (G1).

d. Also add the VCCT (G2), VCCT (G3), and VCCT (GT) results.

8. Solve.

a. In the Outline, under Static Structural, select Analysis Settings.

b. Under the Fracture Controls category, make sure that the Fracture property is set to On.

c. Click Solve.

9. View results.

a. Select each result and view the results.

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Fracture Analysis of a Double Cantilever Beam (DCB) using Pre-Meshed Crack

10. View the Graph window for each result. The graph plots the distance of the crack front node from the
origin and the energy release rate as it moves along the crack front.

Since the load applied on the crack faces is tensile, the Mode I energy release rate ((VCCT (G1) ) )
dominates in this case. The VCCT(G2) and VCCT(G3) results are approximately zero. The total energy
release rate (VCCT (GT) ) is approximately equivalent to VCCT(G1)

You have completed the fracture analysis and accomplished the overall objective for this tutorial.

End of tutorial.

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Chapter 6: Fracture Analysis of an X-Joint Problem with Surface
Flaw using Internally Generated Crack Mesh
Problem Description
In this problem, a semi-elliptical crack is inserted at the tubular joint of the structure. Then crack mesh
is generated on the defined crack and fracture parameters based on Stress Intensity Factors (SIFS) are
computed and post-processed.

Features Illustrated
• Importing geometry

• Nodal named selections.

• Coordinate systems.

• Crack definition.

• Fracture Results.

• Charting.

Procedure
1. Establish a static structural analysis.

a. Start ANSYS Workbench.

b. From the Toolbox, drag a Static Structural system onto the Project Schematic.

2. Import the model.

a. In the Static Structural schematic, right-click the Geometry cell and select Import Geometry > Browse.

b. Browse to open the file X_Joint.agdb. This file is available here on the ANSYS customer site.

3. Prepare the analysis in Mechanical.

a. In the Static Structural schematic, right-click the Model cell, and then choose Edit. Mechanical opens
and displays the model.

b. As needed, orient the model as shown below.

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Fracture Analysis of an X-Joint Problem with Surface Flaw using Internally Generated
Crack Mesh

4. Generate mesh.

a. In the Outline, right-click the Mesh object and select Insert > Method.

b. In the Geometry window, select the body.

c. In the Details view, for Geometry, click Apply.

d. For Method, select Tetrahedrons.

This method is required for crack mesh generation.

e. In the Outline, select the Mesh object.

f. In the Details view, under Sizing, set the Span Angle Center property to Fine.

g. On the Graphics Toolbar, select the Face selection option.

h. In the Outline, right-click the Mesh object and select Insert > Sizing.

i. In the Geometry window, select the external filet show below.

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 j. In the Details view, for Geometry, click Apply.

k. From the Tools group of the Home tab, open the Units drop-down menu and select Metric (mm, kg,
N, s, mV, mA).

l. For Element Size, enter 5mm.

m. Right-click the Mesh object and select Generate Mesh.

5. Create a new coordinate system.

a. In the Outline, right-click the Coordinate Systems object and select Insert>Coordinate System.

b. In the Geometry window, select the vertex lying at the center of the filet face.

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Fracture Analysis of an X-Joint Problem with Surface Flaw using Internally Generated
Crack Mesh

c. In the Details view of the new Coordinate System, select the Geometry property field and then click
Apply.

d. Under the Principal Axis category, set the Axis property to X and the Define by property to Hit Point
Normal.

e. In the Geometry window, click at the origin location of the coordinate system.

f. In the Details view for the Hit Point Normal property, click Apply.

6. Define the crack.

a. Insert a Fracture object into the Outline by right-clicking the Model object and selecting Insert >
Fracture.

b. Insert a Semi-Elliptical Crack object into the Oultine by right-clicking the Fracture object and selecting
Insert>Semi-Elliptical Crack.

c. From the Graphics Toolbar, select the Body selection option.

d. In the Geometry window, select the body.

e. In the Details view, for the Geometry property, click Apply.

f. Specify the Coordinate System property with the coordinate system just defined.

g. In addition, set the following options in the Details view:

Major Radius 18.4

mm

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 Minor Radius 9.5
mm
Largest Contour Radius 2 mm
Crack Front Divisions 35
Circumferential 16
Divisions

h. In the Outline, right-click the Fracture object and select Generate All Crack Meshes.

i. Zoom in on the external filet to see the generated crack mesh.

7. Apply loads.

a. In the Outline, select the Static Structural object.

b. Right-click the object and select Insert>Pressure.

c. In the Geometry window, select the top face as shown below.

d. In the Details view, for Geometry, click Apply.

e. For Magnitude, enter -1000 MPa. The negative value indicates the pressure direction is upward.

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Fracture Analysis of an X-Joint Problem with Surface Flaw using Internally Generated
Crack Mesh

8. Solve.

a. In the Outline, under Static Structural, select Analysis Settings.

b. Under the Solver Controls category, set the Weak Springs property to Program Controlled.

c. Under Fracture Controls category, set the Fracture property to On (as needed), and set the Material
Force and T-Stress properties to Yes.

d. Select the Solve option.

9. Define results.

a. Right-click the Solution object and select Insert > Fracture Tool.

b. In the Details view, for the Crack Selection property, select Semi-Elliptical Crack.

c. Right-click the Fracture Tool folder and select Insert > SIFS Results > K2.

d. Also add SIFS (K3), J-Integral (JINT), Material Force (X Axis), Material Force (Y Axis), Material Force (Z
Axis), and T-Stress results.

e. Right-click the Fracture Tool object and select Evaluate All Results.

10. View results.

a. Select each result and view the results in the Geometry window.

b. View the Graph window for each result. The graph plots the stress intensity factors against the curvilinear
abscissa of the crack front, starting from the origin extremity.

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 Since the crack surface normal is nearly aligned with the tensile load, the Mode I stress intensity
factor (SIFS [K1]) dominates in this case. The SIFS (K2) and SIFS (K3) results show that Mode II and
Mode III slightly contribute.

You have completed the fracture analysis and accomplished the overall objective for this tutorial.

End of tutorial.

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Chapter 7: Using Finite Element Access to Resolve Overconstraint
Problem Description
This tutorial demonstrates the use of Finite Element (FE) types exposed in the Mechanical application
by examining an analysis of a bracket assembly with contacts. This tutorial attempts to show the features
related to FE types in the context of resolving an over-constraint issue in a Static Structural Analysis.

Features Demonstrated
• Create Node-based Named Selections

– Using Worksheet Criterion

– Using Node Selection Tool

• Scope FE (node-based) Boundary Conditions

• Display FE Connections

• Scope Results to FE Nodes

Setting Up the Analysis System

1. Create Static Structural Analysis.

a. Open ANSYS Workbench.

b. On the Workbench Project page, drag a Static Structural system from the Toolbox to the Project
Schematic. The Project Schematic should appear as follows:

2. Assign Materials.

For this tutorial we will accept Structural Steel (typically the default material) for the model and add
Aluminum Alloy as a material option.

a. In the Static Structural schematic, right-click the Engineering Data cell and select Edit. The Engineering
Data tab opens and displays Structural Steel as the default material.

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Using Finite Element Access to Resolve Overconstraint

b. Right-click the box below Structural Steel, where it says "Click here to add new material" and select
Engineering Data Sources.

c. Select the General Materials check box and then click the Add button for Aluminum Alloy. A book
icon appears in the column next to the Add button (plus symbol) to indicate that the material is selected.

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 d. Click the Return to Project toolbar button to return to the Project Schematic.

3. Attach Geometry.

a. In the Static Structural schematic, right-click the Geometry cell and choose Import Geometry>Browse.

b. Browse to the proper location and open the file Bracket_Assembly.agdb. This file is available here on
the ANSYS customer site.

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Using Finite Element Access to Resolve Overconstraint

Define the Model

1. Launch Mechanical by right-clicking the Model cell and then choosing Edit. (Tip: You can also double-
click the cell to launch Mechanical).

2. Define Unit System: from the Tools group on the Home tab, open the Units drop-down menu and select
Metric (mm, kg, N, s, mV, mA).

3. Define Part Material and Create Named Selection.

a. For this model, all of the parts have been defined as Structural Steel. However, we want to change the
Material type of the Clevis to Aluminum Alloy. To do this, first expand the Geometry object in the tree.

b. Select the Clevis object under Geometry. In the Details under the Material category, select the fly-
out menu of the Assignment property and select Aluminum Alloy.

c. Right-click on Clevis object and select Create Named Selection. Enter the Selection Name "Clevis"
and click the OK button.

The Selection Name window is shown below.

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4. Define Connections.

a. Expand the Connections folder in the tree, and then expand the Contacts folder.

b. Right-click the Contacts folder and choose Renamed Based on Definition.

Renaming is illustrated below.

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Using Finite Element Access to Resolve Overconstraint

Refine and Generate Mesh

To be able to create and modify node-based boundary conditions, you must first generate the model’s
mesh. In addition, for this example, we will use the Body Sizing feature to define certain local mesh
sizing.

1. Insert Body Sizing.

a. Right-click on the Mesh object and select Insert > Sizing.

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b. In the Details view, select the Scoping Method option in the Scope field and set it to Named Selection.

c. Select the Named Selection field and select Clevis from the drop-down menu.

d. In the Element Size field, enter 4 (mm).

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Using Finite Element Access to Resolve Overconstraint

e. Right-click the Body Sizing object and select Rename Based on Definition.

As illustrated here, the object is renamed.

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2. Generate Mesh: Right-click on the Mesh object select Generate Mesh.

The completed mesh is shown here.

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Using Finite Element Access to Resolve Overconstraint

Static Structural Analysis

At this time, we will specify the following boundary conditions:

• Moment

• Displacement

• Fixed Support

1. Define Analysis Settings: Select the Analysis Settings object. In Details view set the Solver Controls>Large
Deflection property to On. This selection allows the solver to account for large deformation effects such
as large deflection, large rotation, and large strain.

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2. Insert a Moment Load.

a. Select the Static Structural object, right-click, and select Insert>Moment.

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Using Finite Element Access to Resolve Overconstraint

b. Select the inner face of the Clevis (1 Face) as illustrated here. In the Details for the Scope category,
select the Geometry field and click Apply. Enter 1e5 N mm as the Magnitude and change the Beha-
vior to Rigid.

3. Insert a Displacement and Fixed Support.

a. With the Moment object still highlighted, right-click, and select Insert>Displacement.

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b. Select the inner face of the circular hole highlighted here. Make sure that the model is oriented as
shown (note the direction of the bolts) and then click the Apply button in the Geometry field. Set the
values of X Component, Y Component, and Z Component, to 0 mm.

c. Finally, let’s immobilize the assembly by specifying Fixed Supports on the faces illustrated below. From
the Structural group of the Environment Context tab, select Fixed Support, select one of the faces,
press and hold the Ctrl key, and then select the remaining three faces. Once all of the faces are selected,
click the Apply button in the Geometry field.

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Using Finite Element Access to Resolve Overconstraint

Results and Solution

This section outlines the steps to add result objects, solve your analysis, and review your results.

1. Specify Result Object and Solve.

a. Highlight the Solution object, right-click, and select the Insert > Deformation > Total.

b. Right-click the Solution object and select Solve.

2. Review the Results.

a. Select the Total Deformation object. The solved model should display as follows:

The bulk of the result displays in blue, indicating no deformations on the assembly. This cannot
be correct. In addition to that condition, the following Warning Messages display:

• Large deformation effects are active which may have invalidated some of your applied supports such
as displacement, cylindrical, frictionless, or compression only. Refer to Troubleshooting in the Help
System for more details.

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 • One or more MPC contact regions or remote boundary conditions may have conflicts with other
applied boundary conditions or other contact regions. Refer to Troubleshooting in the Help System
for more details.

This second message indicates that one of the nodes is likely over-constrained.

You can graphically display FE Connections from the Solution Information object, as illustrated
below. In the Details, specify the Display control as CE Based and the Display Type as Lines.
As you can see there is an abundance of Constraint Equations.

Using FE Types to Identify Over-Constraints

Now, let’s look at Solver Output to track down the over-constraint issue.

1. Select the Solution Information object. The Worksheet displays. The contents of the Worksheet display
output messages, including Warnings. Scroll through the messages, searching for over-constraint mes-
sages/warnings.

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Using Finite Element Access to Resolve Overconstraint

The warning highlighted here provides a starting point to correct the over-constraint. Node 390 is
identified as a node that is over-constrained; specifically that it has multiple constraints on degree
of freedom 3.

FE access makes it possible to select a single node using the Node ID. That is, Mechanical allows us
to create a Named Selection that consists of Node 390 so we can that identify it specifically and
view it graphically.

2. Select the Named Selections object and then select the Named Selection option from the Insert group
of the Named Selections Context tab. A Selection object is generated. In the Details for the Selection
object, change the Scoping Method to Worksheet. The Worksheet view automatically displays.

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Using Finite Element Access to Resolve Overconstraint

3. Right-click in the first row of the table and select Add Row.

4. Specify the criteria as follows:

• Entity Type = Mesh Node

• Criterion = Node ID

• Operator = Equal

• Value = 390

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5. Click the Generate button.

6. Right-click on Selection and select Rename. Change the name to "Node 390". A selection is generated
that is just the one node, Node 390, that is over-constrained. Select the Graphics tab to view the generated
node.

7. With node-based Named Selections, it is possible to view the Constraint Equations (CEs) attached to a
single node. Select Solution Information object, select the Graphics tab at the bottom of the window,
and then select Node 390 as the option for the control, Draw Connections Attached To.

You should see the following illustration. The CEs are displayed as lines (note Display Type in the
Details).

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Using Finite Element Access to Resolve Overconstraint

The Display Type specified as Points is illustrated below. You can see Node 390 as well as all of
the other nodes used to calculate CEs. All nodes other than Node 390 are hollow. This indicates that
each node is connected to Node 390.

In addition, the Visible on Results propery has been set to Yes. This facilitates the display of the
contour results for the Total Deformation result and the CEs, also shown below.

Here is an illustration of the CEs while the Total Deformation object is selected.

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 We have identified the over-constrained node, now, let’s correct the issue.

Using FE Type to Correct Over-Constraints

A starting point to correct the over-constraint is to remove the Displacement at Node 390. But looking
at the scoping of the Moment and Displacement, it is clear that they share the edge nodes on the hole
on the side of the face where the Moment is applied. As a result, when the CE's are generated from the
Moment load, the solver tries to impose displacements on the edge nodes which may conflict with the
Displacement already imposed due to the Displacement constraint. So, it is reasonable to try to remove
the Displacement on the edge nodes. While a typical Displacement Boundary Condition does not allow
for this option, it can be accomplished with Nodal Displacement.

1. Create Geometry-based Named Selection.

a. Select the Named Selections object and then select the Named Selection option from the Insert
group of the Named Selections Context tab. A Selection object is generated.

b. Make sure that the Face selection toolbar option is chosen and then select the hole in the Clevis. In the
Details for the Selection object, the Scoping Method should be set to Geometry. In the Geometry
field, click the Apply button to specify the hole as the Geometry.

c. Right-click on Selection and select Rename. Change the name to "Hole Face".

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2. Create Criterion-based Named Selection.

a. Select the Named Selections object and then select the Named Selection option from the Insert
group of the Named Selections Context tab. A new Selection object is generated.

b. Right-click on the new Selection object and select Rename. Change the name to "Hole Face Nodes".

c. In the Details for the named selection object, change the Scoping Method to Worksheet. The Worksheet
view automatically displays.

d. Specify the criteria as illustrated here.

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 e. Take a moment to review and consider the criterion you have defined and then click the Generate
button.

3. Convert Edge to Nodes and Remove it from the Geometry. Now, let’s use a criterion-based Named Se-
lection to create a Named Selection for the hole that subtracts (removes) the nodes of the hole’s edge.

a. Select the Named Selections object and then select the Named Selection option from the Insert
group of the Named Selections Context tab. A Selection object is generated.

b. Make sure that the Edge selection option is chosen and then select the edge of the hole. In the Details
for the Selection object, the Scoping Method should be set to Geometry. In the Geometry field, click
the Apply button to specify the hole as the Geometry.

c. Right-click on Selection and select Rename. Change the name to "Hole Edge".

d. Select the Named Selections object and then select the Named Selection option from the Insert
group of the Named Selections Context tab. A new Selection object is generated.

e. Right-click on the new Selection object and select Rename. Change the name to "Hole Edge Nodes".

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Using Finite Element Access to Resolve Overconstraint

f. In the Details for the Selection object, change the Scoping Method to Worksheet. The Worksheet
view automatically displays. Specify the criteria as illustrated here and then click the Generate button.

One more Named Selection is required. This Named Selection will remove the edge nodes from
the hole nodes.

g. Select the Named Selections object and then select the Named Selection option from the Insert
group of the Named Selections Context tab. A new Selection object is generated.

h. Right-click on the new Selection object and select Rename. Change the name to "Hole Face Minus
Edge".

i. In the Details for the Selection object, change the Scoping Method to Worksheet. Specify the criteria
as illustrated here and then click the Generate button.

We now have a node-based Named Selection that includes all of the nodes of the hole, minus
the nodes of the inner edge of the hole.

4. Suppress the existing Displacement: select the Displacement object, right-click, and select Suppress.
If desired, you could instead delete the load.

5. Create Nodal Displacement and Solve. Now let’s define the scope of the Nodal Displacement and re-
solve the analysis.

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a. Select the Static Structural object, open the Direct FE drop-down menu, and then select Nodal Dis-
placement.

b. Node-based boundary conditions can only be scoped to Named Selections. In the Details for the Nodal
Displacement, specify Hole Face Minus Edge as the Named Selection and then specify each Com-
ponent (X, Y, and Z) as 0.

c. Click the Solve button.

The solution should appear as shown here.

The Constraint Equations should appear with a uniform pattern, as illustrated here for the Solution
Information object. And once again, the Visible on Results control has been set to Yes so that
you can view Constraint Equations and contour results (make sure to select the Graphics tab).

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Using Finite Element Access to Resolve Overconstraint

6. Examine Equivalent Stresses. Now, let’s examine the Equivalent Stresses on the model.

a. Highlight the Solution object, right-click, and select Insert > Stress > Equivalent Stress.

b. Right-click the mouse and select Evaluate Results. The result should appear as illustrated here.

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 A zero Displacement was applied and this is reflected in the above result.

c. Examine the stresses on the hole using direct node selection.

i. Graphically Select Nodes.

Select the Mesh object and then select the Node selection option from the Graphics Toolbar.

ii. Open the Mode drop-down menu on the Graphics Toolbar and choose Box Select.

iii. Drag your cursor over the Clevis hole in a pattern similar to what is illustrated here to directly select
the nodes in and around the hole.

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Using Finite Element Access to Resolve Overconstraint

iv. Right-click the mouse and select Named Selection. Enter "Stress Nodes" as the Selection Name.

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v. Select the Equivalent Stress object, right click, and select Clear Generated Data.

vi. Right-click the mouse and select Evaluate Results. Results can be scoped to FE-based Named Se-
lections as illustrated here, where the Equivalent Stress result was scoped to the Named Selection
Stress Nodes.

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Using Finite Element Access to Resolve Overconstraint

End of tutorial.

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Chapter 8: Simple Pendulum using Rigid Dynamics and Nonlinear
Bushing
This tutorial demonstrates the use of a nonlinear bushing to modify the behavior of a simple pendulum.

Features Demonstrated
• Nonlinear bushings

• Reference coordinate system

• Mobile coordinate system

Setting Up the Analysis System

1. Prepare the analysis system.

a. Browse to open the file NLBushingTuto.wbpz. A Rigid Dynamics system will populate the Project
Schematic. This file is available here on the ANSYS customer site.

b. Right click the Model cell, and select Edit to open the Mechanical Application. The model shown below
will open.

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Simple Pendulum using Rigid Dynamics and Nonlinear Bushing

2. Continued preparation of the analysis.

a. From the Tools group of the Home tab, open the Units drop-down menu and specify the following:

• Metric (mm, kg, N, s, mV, mA)

• Degrees

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3. Insert a new bushing.

a. Open the Connections folder and select the Joints object.

b. From the Joint group of the Connections Context tab, open the Body-Body drop-down menu, and
select Bushing.

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Simple Pendulum using Rigid Dynamics and Nonlinear Bushing

4. Scope the bushing to the correct faces:

a. Set the Scoping Method property of the Reference category to Named Selection.

b. Set the Reference Component property to FACE.

c. Set the Scoping Method property of the Mobile category to Named Selection.

d. Set the Mobile Component property to FACE2.

The bushing Reference Coordinate System should now be defined as illustrated here. Note that the
pendulum axis of rotation is the Z-axis.

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5. Add a nonlinear rotational stiffness to the Z axis

a. In the Outline, highlight the new bushing, then toggle the Worksheet view.

b. In the Bushing worksheet, right-click the last diagonal term of the Stiffness Matrix, and select Tabular.

Note that only the diagonal terms of the stiffness matrix can be defined as nonlinear.

c. In the Tabular Data window, enter the angle and moment data pictured below:

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Simple Pendulum using Rigid Dynamics and Nonlinear Bushing

The curve defined is also displayed in the Graph window.

6. Solve the model: Select the Solve option.

7. Observe the defined nonlinear behavior.

In the Outline, select the Joint Probe object under the Solution object to view the pendulum
motion animation. Select the Play option in the Graph window to animate the result. The pendulum
should oscillate near its initial horizontal position due to the high stiffness entered for small angular
displacements.

With joint rotation unsuppressed, a 20° rotation of the pendulum will occur at the beginning of the
analysis, and the pendulum should have free oscillation around the vertical axis.

End of tutorial.

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Chapter 9: Track Roller Mechanism using Point on Curve Joints and
Rigid Body Dynamics
This example problem demonstrates the use of a Rigid Dynamics analysis to examine the behavior of
a track-roller mechanism using point on curve joints.

In the example, the center point of an offset roller is placed directly onto a track edge to demonstrate
the offset positioning capabilities of point on curve joints. While this model may not be entirely realistic,
it clearly demonstrates the capabilities of the features highlighted.

Features Demonstrated
• Point on curve joints

• Reference coordinate system

• Mobile coordinate system

Setting Up the Analysis System

1. Prepare the analysis system.

a. Browse to open the file TrackRoller.wbpz. A Rigid Dynamics system will populate the Project
Schematic. This file is available here.

b. Right click the Model cell, and select Edit to open the Mechanical Application. The model shown below
will open.

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Track Roller Mechanism using Point on Curve Joints and Rigid Body Dynamics

2. Insert a new joint.

In the Outline view, right-click the Joints folder under the Connections node, then select In-
sert>Joint.

3. Define the new joint.

a. Select the new joint in the Outline to display the joint Details view.

b. In the Definition section of the Details view, click the Connection Type field. The field becomes active.

c. Select Body-Body from the Connection Type drop-down menu.

d. Click the Type field. The field becomes active.

e. Select Point on Curve from the Type drop-down menu.

4. Scope the new point on curve joint.

a. Use the edge selection tool to select an edge of the track to be used as the curve in the new point on
curve joint, as shown below.

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b. In the Details view, click to activate the Reference Scope field.

c. Click Apply.

d. Use the face selection tool to select the face of the track to be used as the curve orientation surface, as
shown below.

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Track Roller Mechanism using Point on Curve Joints and Rigid Body Dynamics

e. In the Details view, click to activate the Reference Curve Orientation Surface field.

f. Click Apply.

5. Define the reference coordinate system for the joint.

a. In the Details view, click to activate the Reference Coordinate System field.

b. Configure the orientation of the reference coordinate system so that Z is the normal of the curve ori-
entation surface and X is in the tangent of the curve. The correct orientation is show below.

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 c. Click Apply.

6. Select and configure the point used in the point on curve joint.

In this example, the center of the first roller (the circle selected below) will be selected as the point
for the first joint. When creating a point on curve joint, the center of a selected geometric entity
(i.e., a vertex, an edge, a surface, or a volume) is considered as the point. To specify a point:

a. Use the edge selection tool to select the outer edge of the roller, as shown below.

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Track Roller Mechanism using Point on Curve Joints and Rigid Body Dynamics

b. In the Details view of the joint, click to activate the Mobile Scope field.

c. Click Apply.

d. In the Details view, click to activate the Mobile Initial Position field.

e. Select Override from the Initial Position drop-down menu.

The Override option is necessary because the center point of the roller is offset from the
track edge. If the Initial Position value of the mobile coordinate system is left to the default
value, Unchanged, the reference coordinate system and mobile coordinate system are as-
sumed to be coincident.

7. Define the mobile coordinate system for the joint.

The center of the roller face will be used as the origin in this model. The orientations of the reference
coordinate system and mobile coordinate system must be the same, or the point on curve joint will
not work properly. To define the mobile coordinate system:

a. In the joint Details view, click to activate the Mobile Coordinate System field.

b. Select the edge of the roller using the edge selection tool. By default, this will configure the mobile
coordinate system so that is corresponds to the reference coordinate system.

c. Ensure that both coordinate systems align as shown below, then click Apply.

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8. Create point of curve joint for the remaining rollers.

Create three more point on curve joints, one for each additional roller, and define them in a similar
manner as described in Step 3 (p. 134) through Step 7 (p. 138). Be sure to select a different roller edge
(as described in Step 6 (p. 137)) for each additional joint. The completed model and coordinate systems
should be configured as shown in the model below.

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Track Roller Mechanism using Point on Curve Joints and Rigid Body Dynamics

9. Solve the model.

Click the Solve icon.

10. Review the results.

In the Outline view, select Total Deformation from the Solution node. The model displays with
the point selected placed on the specified curve, as shown below.

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End of tutorial.

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Index
J
joints
point on curve, 133
tutorial, 1

N
nonlinear bushing, 127

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