ME 443/643

Design Techniques in
Mechanical Engineering
Lecture 2:
Introduction to HyperMesh
Instructor:
Dr. Jagadeep Thota

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Altair HyperWorks Software

Altair has free student version edition of
HyperWorks software.
The link to buy the free version is listed below:
http://www.altairuniversity.com/frontpage/hyperworks-11-0-student-edition/

Major limitations of free version:

Can only create models up to 10,000 nodes (maybe
okay for the class, but there is a chance your project
model may shoot above the 10,000 nodes limit)
Only CAD models from SolidWorks OR in an IGES
format can be imported into HyperMesh.

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Computational FEA Stages

Computational FEA can be broken down into
three stages:
Pre-processing
Involves creating the FE model and applying the necessary
loads and boundary conditions
HyperMesh

Processing (Solver)
Solving the FE problem by running the FE model created in
the previous step
Radioss (Bulk data)

Post-Processing
Animating or plotting the required results obtained from
processing the FE model
HyperView
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Starting HyperMesh Software

Click on the Windows
start button
Click on Program Files
Click on Altair
HyperWorks 11.0 (62bit) folder
Click on HyperMesh
icon

(1)

(2)

Click/Select at this location

(#)

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Sequence of steps
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HyperMesh Graphics User Interface (GUI)

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Description of HyperMesh GUI

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HyperMesh View Toolbar

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HyperMesh 3D View Control Toolbar

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Three Steps of Discretization

First step in any FE software is to create nodes
The most common method is by typing the x, y & z coordinates
of the node

Second step is to create lines between any two nodes

The last step, which is meshing, is to either:
Divide the lines into smaller lines (elements) for 1D elements
For 2D models, divide the area enclosed by the lines into smaller
areas (elements)

Create
Nodes

Nodes

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Create

Create

Lines

Mesh
2D
Elements

Lines

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1D
Elements

Geometry Creation in HyperMesh

Let us create a square of 2 units length

(1)

(2)

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Creation of Nodes
(4) Coordinates of
the second node

(10)

(5) Click on create

(6) Coordinates of
the third node

(7) Click on create

(8) Coordinates of
the fourth node

(1)
(3)

(9) Click on create

(2) Coordinates of
the first node

(11)

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Creation of Lines

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Creation of Lines
(5) Repeat steps
(2), (3) & (4) to
draw lines
between other
nodes

(3)

(2) Select atleast two nodes

to create a line between them

(4)

(1)

(6)

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Collectors
In order to define any single component in HyperMesh,
four collectors need to be created
Component Collector: the geometry and mesh of the component
is stored here
Material Collector: the material of the component needs to be
created here
Property Collector: this defines if the elements (mesh) used for
the component is 1D (beam), 2D (shell) or 3D (solid)
Load Collector: Any loads or boundary conditions (supports)
created for the component will be assigned to this collector

The component collector links the material and property

collector
The load collector does not need to be linked to the
component collector
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Collectors
An automatic component collector was created by HyperMesh as soon
as the first line was created
This only happens when there are no collectors under the Component
tree
If there is one (or more) component collector already created, then any
geometry or mesh created will automatically be assigned to the last
active component collector
Hence, make sure before creation of any geometry or mesh that you are
assigning the right collector to it

Property Collector
Material Collector
Load Collector
Component Collector

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Deleting

(2)
(1)

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Deleting

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Deleting

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Deleting

(1)

Select these 3 lines

by clicking on them

(2)

(3)

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Creation of Circle

(2)

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(1)

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Creation of Circle

Select this node by

clicking on it
This will be center
node of the circle

(2)

(3)
(1)

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Creation of Circle

This defines the axis

normal to circle face

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Creation of Circle

(2)
(1)

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Creating Component Collector

The circle and line are in the same component collector auto2
We are going to create a new component collector quarter circle

After step (5), there will

be component collector
named quarter circle
created in the tab area
under the Component
tree

(1)
(5)

(2)
(3)

(4)

(6)

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Creating Quarter Circle

(2)

Center of the arc

(quarter circle is the
present case)

(1)

These two are defined

similar to the circle

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(4)

(3)

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Creating Nodes on Line

We will be converting the quarter circle into
For this we need to create a node at either end of the quarter circle

(2)

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(1)

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Creating Nodes on Line

(1)

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(2)

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Creating Nodes on Line

Select this line

(1)

(2)

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Change Component Collector

We will create the lines in auto2 collector
For this we have to make auto2 the current active component collector
The current active collector will be shown in bold in the tab area under the collector tree
and also its name will be displayed at the bottom right box of the HyperMesh screen

Active collector will

be shown in bold

Active load
collector will
be displayed
here
(2)

Active component collector

will be displayed here
(1)

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(3)

Create Lines
(4) Repeat steps (2)
& (3) to create the
other line and close
the geometry

(2)

Select these
two nodes

(3)

(1)

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Changing Component Collector

We will change the

component collector of
these two lines to the
component collector of
the quarter circle
(2)

(1)

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Change Component Collector

(1)
(2)

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Change Component Collector

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Change Component Collector

(1)

(2)

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Select these
two lines

Change Component Collector

(1)

(2)

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Change Component Collector

(1)

(2)

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Concluding Remarks
Work on the HyperMesh tutorials posted on the
course website during off-class hours
Redo what was taught/shown in this
presentation
Next Class
Theory
Direct Stiffness Method (a finite element method)

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