ANSYS BASIC
UofAANSYSTutorial
EffectofSelfWeight
DistributedLoading
NonLinearAnalysis
SolutionTracking
Buckling
NonLinearMaterials
DynamicModal
DynamicHarmonic topandbottomplatetomakeananalyticalverificationsimpletocalculate.A3/4crosssectionviewof
DynamicTransient
ThermalConduction
ThermalMixedBndry
TransientHeat
Axisymmetric
Index
Contributions
Comments
MecE563
MechanicalEngineering
UniversityofAlberta
ANSYSInc.
Copyright2001
UniversityofAlberta
UTILITIES
TUTORIALS
INTERMEDIATE
TUTORIALS
ADVANCED
TUTORIALS
POSTPROC.
TUTORIALS
COMMAND
LINEFILES
PRINTABLE
VERSION
ModellingUsingAxisymmetry
Introduction
ThistutorialwascompletedusingANSYS7.0Thistutorialisintendedtooutlinethestepsrequiredto
createanaxisymmetricmodel.
Themodelwillbethatofaclosedtubemadefromsteel.Pointloadswillbeappliedatthecenterofthe
thetubeisshownbelow.
Asawarning,pointloadswillcreatediscontinuitiesintheyourmodelnearthepointofapplication.If
youchosetousethesetypesofloadsinyourownmodelling,beverycarefulandbesuretounderstand
thetheoryofhowtheFEApackageisapplingtheloadandtheassumptionitismaking.Inthiscase,we
willonlybeconcernedaboutthestressdistributionfarfromthepointofapplication,sothe
discontinuitieswillhaveanegligableeffect.
Preprocessing:DefiningtheProblem
1.GiveexampleaTitle
UtilityMenu>File>ChangeTitle...
/title,AxisymmetricTube
2.Openpreprocessormenu
ANSYSMainMenu>Preprocessor
/PREP7
3.CreateAreas
Preprocessor>Modeling>Create>Areas>Rectangle>ByDimensions
RECTNG,X1,X2,Y1,Y2
 Foranaxisymmetricproblem,ANSYSwillrotatetheareaaroundtheyaxisatx=0.
Therefore,tocreatethegeometrymentionedabove,wemustdefineaUshape.

Wearegoingtodefine3overlappingrectanglesasdefinedinthefollowingtable:

Rectangle X1 X2 Y1 Y2
1 0 20 0 5
2 15 20 0 100
3 0 20 95 100

4.AddAreasTogether

Preprocessor>Modeling>Operate>Booleans>Add>Areas
AADD,ALL

ClickthePickAllbuttontocreateasinglearea.

5.DefinetheTypeofElement

Preprocessor>ElementType>Add/Edit/Delete...

ForthisproblemwewillusethePLANE2(Structural,Solid,Triangle6node)element.This
elementhas2degreesoffreedom(translationalongtheXandYaxes).

Manyelementssupportaxisymmetry,howeveriftheAnsysElementsReference(which
canbefoundinthehelpfile)doesnotdiscussaxisymmetricapplicationsforaparticular
elementtype,axisymmetryisnotsupported.

6.TurnonAxisymmetry

WhiletheElementTypeswindowisstillopen,clicktheOptions...button.

UnderElementbehaviorK3selectAxisymmetric.

7.DefineElementMaterialProperties

Preprocessor>MaterialProps>MaterialModels>Structural>Linear>Elastic>
Isotropic

Inthewindowthatappears,enterthefollowinggeometricpropertiesforsteel:

i.Young'smodulusEX:200000
ii.Poisson'sRatioPRXY:0.3

8.DefineMeshSize

Preprocessor>Meshing>SizeCntrls>ManualSize>Areas>AllAreas

Forthisexamplewewilluseanelementedgelengthof2mm.

9.Meshtheframe

Preprocessor>Meshing>Mesh>Areas>Free>click'PickAll'
 Yourmodelshouldknowlooklikethis:

SolutionPhase:AssigningLoadsandSolving
1.DefineAnalysisType

Solution>AnalysisType>NewAnalysis>Static
ANTYPE,0

2.ApplyConstraints
Solution>DefineLoads>Apply>Structural>Displacement>SymmetryB.C.>On
Lines

Pickthetwoedgesontheleft,atx=0,asshownbelow.ByusingthesymmetryB.C.
command,ANSYSautomaticallycalculateswhichDOF'sshouldbeconstrainedforthe
lineofsymmetry.Sincetheelementweareusingonlyhas2DOF'spernode,wecould
haveconstrainedthelinesinthexdirectiontocreatethesymmetricboundaryconditions.

UtilityMenu>Select>Entities

SelectNodesandByLocationfromthescrolldownmenus.ClickYcoordinatesandtype
50intotheinputboxasshownbelow,thenclickOK.
 Solution>DefineLoads>Apply>Structural>Displacement>OnNodes>PickAll

Constrainthenodesintheydirection(UY).Thisisrequiredtoconstrainthemodelin
space,otherwiseitwouldbefreetofloatupordown.Thelocationtoconstrainthemodel
intheydirection(y=50)waschosenbecauseitisalongasymmetryplane.Therefore,these
nodeswon'tmoveintheydirectionaccordingtotheory.

3.UtilityMenu>Select>Entities

Intheselectentitieswindow,clickSeleAlltoreselectallnodes.Itisimportanttoalwaysreselect
allentitiesonceyou'vefinishedtoensurefuturecommandsareappliedtothewholemodeland
notjustafewentities.Onceyou'veclickedSeleAll,clickonCanceltoclosethewindow.
4.ApplyLoads
Solution>DefineLoads>Apply>Structural>Force/Moment>OnKeypoints
PickthetopleftcorneroftheareaandclickOK.Applyaloadof100intheFYdirection.

Solution>DefineLoads>Apply>Structural>Force/Moment>OnKeypoints
PickthebottomleftcorneroftheareaandclickOK.Applyaloadof100intheFY
direction.

Theappliedloadsandconstraintsshouldnowappearasshowninthefigurebelow.
 5.SolvetheSystem

Solution>Solve>CurrentLS
SOLVE

Postprocessing:ViewingtheResults
1.HandCalculations

HandcalculationswereperformedtoverifythesolutionfoundusingANSYS:

Thestressacrossthethicknessaty=50mmis0.182MPa.

2.DeterminetheStressThroughtheThicknessoftheTube
UtilityMenu>Select>Entities...

SelectNodes>ByLocation>Ycoordinatesandtype45,55intheMin,Maxbox,asshown
belowandclickOK.
 GeneralPostproc>ListResults>NodalSolution>Stress>ComponentsSCOMP

Thefollowinglistshouldpopup.

Ifyoutaketheaverageofthestressintheydirectionoverthethicknessofthetube,
(0.18552+0.17866)/2,thestressinthetubeis0.182MPa,matchingtheanalytical
solution.Theaverageisusedbecauseintheanalyticalcase,itisassumedthestressis
evenlydistributedacrossthethickness.Thisisonlytruewhenthelocationisfarfromany
stressconcentrators,suchascorners.Thus,toapproximatetheanalyticalsolution,wemust
averagethestressoverthethickness.

3.PlottingtheElementsasAxisymmetric

UtilityMenu>PlotCtrls>Style>SymmetryExpansion>2DAxisymmetric...

Thefollowingwindowwillappear.Byclickingon3/4expansionyoucanproducethe
figureshownatthebeginningofthistutorial.
 4.ExtraExercise

Itiseducationaltorepeatthistutorial,butleaveoutthekeyoptionwhichenablesaxisymmetric
modelling.Therestofthecommandsremainthesame.Ifthisisdone,themodelisaflat,
rectangularplate,witharectangularholeinthemiddle.Boththestressdistributionanddeformed
shapechangedrastically,asexpectedduetothechangeingeometry.Thus,whenusing
axisymmetrybesuretoverifythesolutionsyougetarereasonabletoensurethemodelisinfact
axisymmetric.

CommandFileModeofSolution
TheaboveexamplewassolvedusingamixtureoftheGraphicalUserInterface(orGUI)andthe
commandlanguageinterfaceofANSYS.ThisproblemhasalsobeensolvedusingtheANSYS
commandlanguageinterfacethatyoumaywanttobrowse.Openthe.HTMLversion,copyandpaste
thecodeintoNotepadorasimilartexteditorandsaveittoyourcomputer.Nowgoto'File>Read
inputfrom...'andselectthefile.A.PDFversionisalsoavailableforprinting.