Ansys Workbook

ANALYSIS OF TRUSS
Analysis of a Truss consists of:

Determinations of the reactions at the supports
Determination of the forces in the members of the
Truss
Trusses are generally supported as follows:
On roller support
On a fixed support
On a hinged support
The assumption made in finding out the forces in a Truss are:
The frame is a perfect frame
The frame carries load at the joints
All the members are pin joined
Forces developed within the members of the truss are
purely axial ie. no bending is considered
Weights are assumed to be applied at the joints. Half the
weight of each member is applied to the two connecting
joints of the member.
ELEMENT DESCRIPTION
LINK8 - This element can be used to model trusses, sagging cables, links, springs, etc. The 3-D spar
element is a uniaxial tension-compression element with three degrees of freedom at each node:
translations in the nodal x, y, and z directions. As in a pin-jointed structure, no bending of the element is
considered. Plasticity, creep, swelling, stress stiffening, and large deflection capabilities are included.
LINK180 Input Summary

Nodes-I, J
Degrees of Freedom-UX, UY, UZ
Real Constants
AREA - Cross-sectional area
ISTRN - Initial strain
Material Properties
EX, ALPX (or CTEX or THSX), DENS, DAMP
LINK- Assumptions and Restrictions
The spar element assumes a straight bar, axially loaded at its ends and of uniform properties from
end to end.
The length of the spar must be greater than zero, so nodes I and J must not be coincident.
The area must be greater than zero.
In 2d the spar must lie in an X-Y plane and must have an area greater than zero.
The temperature is assumed to vary linearly along the length of the spar.
The displacement shape function implies a uniform stress in the spar.
The initial strain is also used in calculating the stress stiffness matrix, if any, for the first cumulative
iteration.
SUGGESTED EXERCISE STEPS
Specify the element type using the following menu path:

Main Menu > Preprocessor > Element Type > Add/Edit/Delete
Specify real constants (R command) using the following menu path:

Main Menu > Preprocessor > Real Constants > Add/Edit/ Delete
Specify material properties for the bar (MP command) using the following menu path:
Main Menu > Preprocessor > Material Props > Material Models
Create keypoints (K command) using the following menu path:

Main Menu > Preprocessor > Modeling > Create > Keypoints > In Active CS
Create a line (L command) using the following menu path:

Main Menu > Preprocessor > Modeling > Create > Lines > Lines > Straight line
Specify the number of divisions on the line (LESIZE command) using the following menu path:
Main Menu > Preprocessor > Meshing > Size Cntrls > ManualSize > Lines > Picked Lines
Create the mesh (LMESH command) using the following menu path:
Main Menu > Preprocessor > Meshing > Mesh > lines
Apply displacement constraints (D command) using the following menu path:

Main Menu > Solution > Define Loads > Apply > Structural > Displacement > On Nodes
Apply force boundary conditions (F command) using the following menu path:
Main Menu > Solution > Define Loads > Apply > Structural > Force/Moment > On Nodes
Obtain the solution (SOLVE command) using the following menu path:
Main Menu > Solution > Solve > Current LS
Review element stress values (ETABLE command) using the following menu path:
Main Menu > General Postproc > Element Table > Define Table
PROBLEMS
ANALYSIS OF BEAMS
Beams are said to be designed on the basis of strength so that they can resist the internal
shear and moment developed along their length. In most cases, the loads are perpendicular to the
axis of the beam. Such a transverse loading causes only bending and shear in the beam. When
the loads are not at a right angle to the beam, they also produce axial forces in the beam.
ANALYSIS OF BEAMS CONSISTS OF

Determinations of the reactions at the supports
Determination of the shear forces and moments in the members of the beams
Determination of the bending stress in the beams
COMMON BEAM SUPPORT AND LOAD CONFIGURATIONS

BEAM Element Description
BEAM188 is a uniaxial element with tension, compression, and bending capabilities. The element
has three degrees of freedom at each node: translations in the nodal x and y directions and
rotation about the nodal z-axis.
BEAM188 Input Summary
Nodes-I, J
Degrees of Freedom-UX, UY, ROTZ
Real Constants
AREA - Cross-sectional area
IZZ - Area moment of inertia
HEIGHT - Total beam height
SHEARZ - Shear deflection constant
ISTRN - Initial strain
ADDMAS - Added mass per unit length
Material Properties
EX, ALPX (or CTEX or THSX), DENS, GXY, DAMP
BEAM189 is a uniaxial element with tension, compression,

torsion, and bending capabilities. The element has six degrees of
freedom at each node: translations in the nodal x, y, and z
directions and rotations about the nodal x, y, and z axes. Stress
stiffening and large deflection capabilities are included. A
consistent tangent stiffness matrix option is available for use in
large deflection (finite rotation) analyses.
BEAM189 Input Summary
Nodes-I, J, K (K orientation node is optional)

Degrees of Freedom
UX, UY, UZ, ROTX, ROTY, ROTZ
Real Constants
AREA, IZZ, IYY, TKZ, TKY, THETA
ISTRN, IXX, SHEARZ, SHEARY, SPIN, ADDMAS
Material Properties
EX, ALPX (or CTEX or THSX), DENS, GXY, DAMP
BEAM188 Assumptions and Restrictions

The beam element must lie in an X-Y plane and must not have a zero length or area.
The beam element can have any cross-sectional shape for which the moment of inertia can
be computed. However, the stresses are determined as if the distance from the neutral axis
to the extreme fiber is one-half of the height.
The element height is used only in the bending and thermal stress calculations.
The applied thermal gradient is assumed linear across the height and along the length.
The moment of inertia may be zero if large deflections are not used.
BEAM189 Assumptions and Restrictions

The beam must not have a zero length or area. The moments of inertia, however, may be
zero if large deflections are not used.
The beam can have any cross-sectional shape for which the moments of inertia can be
computed. The stresses, however, will be determined as if the distance between the neutral
axis and the extreme fiber is one-half of the corresponding thickness.
The element thicknesses are used only in the bending and thermal stress calculations.
The applied thermal gradients are assumed to be linear across the thickness in both
directions and along the length of the element.
If the consistent tangent stiffness matrix (KEYOPT(2) = 1) is used, care has to be taken to
use realistic (that is, "to scale") element real constants. This precaution is necessary
because the consistent stress-stiffening matrix is based on the calculated stresses in the
element. If you use artificially large or small cross-sectional properties, the calculated
stresses will become inaccurate, and the stress-stiffening matrix will suffer corresponding
inaccuracies. (Certain components of the stress-stiffening matrix could even overshoot to
infinity.) Similar difficulties could arise if unrealistic real constants are used in a linear
prestressed or linear buckling analysis [PSTRES,ON].
Eigenvalues calculated in a gyroscopic modal analysis can be very sensitive to changes in
the initial shift value, leading to potential error in either the real or imaginary (or both) parts
of the eigenvalues.

Specify material properties for the beam (MP command) using the following menu path:
Store bending moment values in the element table (ETABLE command) using the following menu
path:
Main Menu > General Postproc > Element Table > Define Table
Main Menu > General Postproc > Plot Results > Contour Plot > Line Elem Res
PROBLEMS
TWO DIMENSIONAL IDEALIZATIONS
Plane Stress and Plane Strain and Axisymmetric
The reduction of the dimensionality of a problem from three to two through an idealization may
reduce the computational cost significantly. There are three distinct two-dimensional idealizations:
plane stress, plane strain, and axisymmetry.
PLANE STRESS
In a structural problem, if one of the dimensions is much
smaller than the inplane dimensions, and if the structure is
subjected to only in-plane loads along the boundary, then the
plane stress idealization is valid. It reduces the computational
cost significantly without a loss of accuracy in the quantities of
interest.
PLANE STRAIN
In a structural problem, if one of the dimensions is significantly
longer than the other dimensions defining a uniform cross-
sectional area, and if the structure is subjected to only uniform
lateral loads, then plane strain idealization is valid. Similar to
plane stress idealization, because the number of nodes and
elements in the model is reduced drastically, utilization of plane
strain idealization leads to significant savings in computational
cost without loss of accuracy in the quantities of interest.
AXISYMMETRIC
In a solid of revolution, location of a point in the body can
conveniently be identified by cylindrical coordinates, r, 0
and z, with z being the axis of rotation. When a solid of
revolution is subjected to loading that can also be
obtained by revolution about the z-axis, then the results
become independent of 0, This is called an Axisymmetric
Condition.
PLANE STRESS
In structural mechanics, a flat thin sheet of

material is called a plate. The distance between the
plate faces is called the thickness and denoted by h . The midplane lies halfway between the two
faces.
The direction normal to the midplane is the transverse direction. Directions parallel to the
midplane are called in-plane directions. The global axis z will be oriented along the transverse
direction. Axes x and y are placed in the midplane, forming a right-handed Rectangular Cartesian
Coordinate (RCC) system. Thus the midplane equation is z = 0. See Figure
A plate loaded in its midplane is said to be in a state of plane stress, or a membrane state, if
the following assumptions hold:
1. All loads applied to the plate act in the midplane direction, and are symmetric with respect to the
midplane.
2. All support conditions are symmetric about the midplane.
3. In-plane displacements, strains and stresses can be taken to be uniform through the thickness.
4. The normal and shear stress components in the z direction are zero or negligible.
Plane Strain
The 2D simplification option models the problem using a plane strain
assumption. The displacement in one of the directions is negligible
compared to the other two. The plane strain condition is valid when:
One of the dimensions is much larger than the other two.

In-plane forces do not vary along the largest dimension.
Forces acting normal to the section plane are negligible.
The figure shows a thick solid under uniform loads. The dimension
in Y is much larger than the X and Z dimensions. To model the
problem, you create a section plane parallel to the XZ plane, specify
the thickness, and apply the loads and fixtures to the edges.
AXISYMMETRIC
Use the axisymmetric option when the geometry, material

properties, loads, fixtures, and contact conditions have a rotational
symmetry about an axis. You can model any cross section about the
axis of revolution. If you use multiple bodies, they have to be
symmetric about the same axis.When defining orthotropic material
properties for the 2D sections, the X, Y, and Z directions represent
the cylindrical coordinates. The material properties are the same
along the circumferential direction.The figure shows an o-ring
pressed into a groove by a top plate.
On the section plane, if you denote the X, Y, and Z directions as r, y,
and respectively, the following simplifications are applied for simulation results.
List of Plane Stress and Plane Strain and Axisymmetric Element

PLANE13 - 2-D Coupled-Field Solid
PLANE25 - Axisymmetric-Harmonic 4-Node Structural Solid
PLANE35 - 2-D 6-Node Triangular Thermal Solid
PLANE42 - 2-D Structural Solid
PLANE53 - 2-D 8-Node Magnetic Solid
PLANE55 - 2-D Thermal Solid
PLANE67 - 2-D Coupled Thermal-Electric Solid
PLANE75 - Axisymmetric-Harmonic 4-Node Thermal Solid
PLANE77 - 2-D 8-Node Thermal Solid
PLANE78 - Axisymmetric-Harmonic 8-Node Thermal Solid
PLANE82 - 2-D 8-Node Structural Solid
PLANE83 - Axisymmetric-Harmonic 8-Node Structural Solid
PLANE121 - 2-D 8-Node Electrostatic Solid
PLANE145 - 2-D Quadrilateral Structural Solid p-Element
PLANE146 - 2-D Triangular Structural Solid p-Element
PLANE162 - Explicit 2-D Structural Solid
PLANE182 - 2-D 4-Node Structural Solid
PLANE183 - 2-D 8-Node or 6-Node Structural Solid
PLANE223 - 2-D 8-Node Coupled-Field Solid
PLANE230 - 2-D 8-Node Electric Solid
PLANE233 - 2-D 8 Node Electromagnetic solid

Define the element type (ET command) using the following menu path:
Specify material properties (MP command) using the following menu path:
Create a geometry using the following menu path
Main Menu > Preprocessor > Modeling > Create >
Create the mesh using the following menu path:
Main Menu > Preprocessor > Meshing > Mesh
Review the normal stress contour plots in the x- and y-directions using the following menu path:
Main Menu > General Postproc > Plot Results > Contour Plot > Nodal Solu
Problems
NonLinear Analysis of a Cantilever Beam
Introduction
This tutorial was created using ANSYS 13.0 The purpose of this tutorial is to outline the steps
required to do a simple nonlinear analysis of the beam shown below.
There are several causes for nonlinear behaviour such as Changing Status (ex. contact
elements), Material Nonlinearities and Geometric Nonlinearities (change in response due to
large deformations). This tutorial will deal specifically with Geometric Nonlinearities .
To solve this problem, the load will added incrementally. After each increment, the
stiffness matrix will be adjusted before increasing the load.
The solution will be compared to the equivalent solution using a linear response.



Specify Section using the following menu path:

Main Menu > Preprocessor > Sections > Beam> Common Section
Define Mesh Size:
Preprocessor > Meshing > Size Cntrls > ManualSize > Lines > All Lines
Define Analysis Type:

Solution > New Analysis > Static
Set Solution Controls

Solution > Analysis Type > Sol'n Control..
Apply Constraints
Solution > Define Loads > Apply > Structural > Displacement > On Keypoints
Apply Load
Solution > Define Loads > Apply > Structural > Force/Moment > On Keypoints
View the deformed shape

General Postproc > Plot Results > Deformed Shape... > Def + undeformed
View the deflection contour plot

General Postproc > Plot Results > Contour Plot > Nodal Solu... > DOF solution, UY
List Horizontal Displacement

General Postproc > List Results > Nodal Solution...> DOF solution, U
Buckling
Introduction
This tutorial was created using ANSYS 13.0 to solve a simple buckling problem. It is
recommended that you complete the Non-Linear Tutorial prior to beginning this tutorial
Buckling loads are critical loads where certain types of structures become unstable. Each load
has an associated buckled mode shape; this is the shape that the structure assumes in a buckled
condition. There are two primary means to perform a buckling analysis:
1. Eigenvalue
Eigenvalue buckling analysis predicts the theoretical buckling strength of an ideal elastic
structure. It computes the structural eigenvalues for the given system loading and
constraints. This is known as classical Euler buckling analysis. Buckling loads for several
configurations are readily available from tabulated solutions. However, in real-life,
structural imperfections and nonlinearities prevent most real- world structures from
reaching their eigenvalue predicted buckling strength; ie. it over-predicts the expected
buckling loads. This method is not recommended for accurate, real-world buckling
prediction analysis.
2. Nonlinear
Nonlinear buckling analysis is more accurate than eigenvalue analysis because it employs
non-linear, large-deflection, static analysis to predict buckling loads. Its mode of operation
is very simple: it gradually increases the applied load until a load level is found whereby
the structure becomes unstable (ie. suddenly a very small increase in the load will cause
very large deflections). The true non-linear nature of this analysis thus permits the
modeling of geometric imperfections, load perterbations, material nonlinearities and
gaps. For this type of analysis, note that small off-axis loads are necessary to initiate the
desired buckling mode.
This tutorial will use a steel beam with a 10 mm X 10 mm cross section, rigidly constrained at the
bottom. The required load to cause buckling, applied at the top-center of the beam, will be
calculated.
Eigenvalue Buckling Analysis:





Define Mesh Size:


Activate Prestress effects:

Solution > Analysis Type > Analysis Options> Prestress ON
Apply Constraints
Apply Load

Solution >Analysis Type> New Analysis > Eigen Buckling
Specify Buckling analysis options:

Solution > Analysis Type>Analysis Options Block Lanczos
Expand the solution:

Main Menu > Solution >Analysis Type> Expansion Pass ON
Main Menu > Solution >Load Step Opts> Expansion Pass> Single Expand> Expand Modes
View the Buckling load

General Postproc > List Results > Detailed Summary
View the Mode Shape

General Postproc > Read Results > Last Set
General Postproc > Plot Results> Deformed Shape
NonLinear Buckling Analysis:




Define Mesh Size:



Solution > Analysis Type > Sol'n Control..
Apply Constraints
Apply Load
(Give some offset load in the desired buckling direction)
View the deformed shape

General Postproc > Plot Results > Deformed Shape... > Def + undeformed

General Postproc > Plot Results > Contour Plot > Nodal Solu... > DOF solution, UY
List Horizontal Displacement

General Postproc > List Results > Nodal Solution...> DOF solution, U
Time history Post Processing:

Define variables:
Main Menu > TimeHist Postpro> Variable Viewer
Add
Nodal Solution > DOF Solution > Y-Component of displacement
Nodal Solution > Structural Force > Y-Component of Force
Non-Linear Materials
Introduction
This tutorial was completed using ANSYS 13.0 The purpose of the tutorial is to describe how to
include material nonlinearities in an ANSYS model. For instance, the case when a large force is
applied resulting in a stresses greater than yield strength. In such a case, a multilinear stress-strain
relationship can be included which follows the stress-strain curve of the material being used. This
will allow ANSYS to more accurately model the plastic deformation of the material.
For this analysis, a simple tension speciment 100 mm X 5 mm X 5 mm is constrained at the bottom
and has a load pulling on the top. This specimen is made out of a experimental substance called
"WhoKilledKenium". The stress-strain curve for the substance is shown above. Note the linear
section up to approximately 225 MPa where the Young's Modulus is constant (75 GPa). The
material then begins to yield and the relationship becomes plastic and nonlinear.




Main Menu > Preprocessor > Material Props > Material Models> Structural > Nonlinear> Elastic>
Multilinear Elastic
Curve Points Strain Stress
1 0 0
2 0.001 75
3 0.002 150
4 0.003 225
5 0.004 240
6 0.005 250
7 0.025 300
8 0.060 355
9 0.100 390
10 0.150 420
11 0.200 435
12 0.250 449
13 0.275 450
Define Mesh Size:



Solution > Analysis Type > Sol'n Control. - Large Displacement Static, Automatic time stepping
ON,
Apply Constraints
Apply Load
(Give some offset load in the desired buckling direction)
Viewing option
Utility Menu> PlotCtrls> Style> Size and Shape Display of Element ON

General Postproc > Plot Results > Contour Plot. > Nodal Solu.. > DOF solution, UY

Define variables:
Add
Nodal Solution > Structural Force > Y-Component of Force
Modal Analysis of a Cantilever Beam
Introduction
This tutorial was created using ANSYS 13.0 The purpose of this tutorial is to outline the steps
required to do a simple modal analysis of the cantilever beam shown below
.

Define Analysis Type
Solution > Analysis Type > New Analysis > Modal
Set options for analysis type:

Solution > Analysis Type > Analysis Options..




Verify extracted modes against theoretical predictions

General Postproc > Results Summary...
View Mode Shapes

General Postproc > Read Results > First Set
General Postproc > Plot Results > Deformed shape
Postproc > Read Results > Next Set
General Postproc > Plot Results > Deformed shape
Animate Mode Shapes

Utility Menu (Menu at the top) > Plot Ctrls > Animate > Mode Shape
Harmonic Analysis of a Cantilever Beam
Introduction
This tutorial was created using ANSYS 13.0 The purpose of this tutorial is to explain the
steps required to perform Harmonic analysis the cantilever beam shown below.
We will now conduct a harmonic forced response test by applying a cyclic load (harmonic) at the
end of the beam. The frequency of the load will be varied from 1 - 100 Hz. The figure below
depicts the beam with the application of the load.
ANSYS provides 3 methods for conducting a harmonic analysis. These 3 methods are the Full,
Reduced and Modal Superposition methods. This example demonstrates the Full method
because it is simple and easy to use as compared to the other two methods. However, this
method makes use of the full stiffness and mass matrices and thus is the slower and costlier
option.

Solution > Analysis Type > New Analysis > Harmonic
Set options for analysis type:

Solution > Analysis Type > Analysis Options. Full Solution method, Real + Imaginary




Apply Loads using the following menu path:

Set Frequency range:

Main Menu > Solution > Load Step Opts > Time/Frequency> Freq and Substps..

Click Add
Click List to get the stored variables list
Click Plot UY vs Frequency
Modify axis with log scale of UY
Utility Menu> PlotCtrls> Graphs> Modify Axis Y-axis scale to Logarithmic
Utility Menu> Plot> Replot
Transient Analysis of a Cantilever Beam
Introduction
This tutorial was created using ANSYS 13.0 The purpose of this tutorial is to show the steps
involved to perform a simple transient analysis.
Transient dynamic analysis is a technique used to determine the dynamic response of a structure
under a time-varying load.
The time frame for this type of analysis is such that inertia or damping effects of the structure are
considered to be important. Cases where such effects play a major role are under step or impulse
loading conditions, for example, where there is a sharp load change in a fraction of time.
If inertia effects are negligible for the loading conditions being considered, a static analysis may be
used instead.
For our case, we will impact the end of the beam with an impulse force and view the response at
the location of impact.
Since an ideal impulse force excites all modes of a structure, the response of the beam should
contain all mode frequencies. However, we cannot produce an ideal impulse force numerically.
We have to apply a load over a discrete amount of time dt.
After the application of the load, we track the response of the beam at discrete time points for as
long as we like (depending on what it is that we are looking for in the response).
The size of the time step is governed by the maximum mode frequency of the structure we wish to
capture. The smaller the time step, the higher the mode frequency we will capture. The rule of
thumb in ANSYS is
time_step = 1 / 20f
where f is the highest mode frequency we wish to capture. In other words, we must resolve our
step size such that we will have 20 discrete points per period of the highest mode frequency.
It should be noted that a transient analysis is more involved than a static or harmonic analysis. It
requires a good understanding of the dynamic behavior of a structure. Therefore, a modal
analysis of the structure should be initially performed to provide information about the
structure's dynamic behavior.
In ANSYS, transient dynamic analysis can be carried out using 3 methods.

1. The Full Method: This is the easiest method to use. All types of non-linearities are
allowed. It is however very CPU intensive to go this route as full system matrices are used.
2. The Reduced Method: This method reduces the system matrices to only consider the
Master Degrees of Freedom (MDOFs). Because of the reduced size of the matrices, the
calculations are much quicker. However, this method handles only linear problems (such
as our cantilever case).
3. The Mode Superposition Method: This method requires a preliminary modal analysis, as
factored mode shapes are summed to calculate the structure's response. It is the quickest
of the three methods, but it requires a good deal of understanding of the problem at
hand.
We will use the Reduced Method for conducting our transient analysis. Usually one need not go
further than reviewing the Reduced Results. However, if stresses and forces are of interest than,
we would have to Expand the Reduced Solution.





Solution > Analysis Type > New Analysis > Transient - Reduced
Define Master DOFs:

Solution > Master DOFs> User Selected> Define- UY
Constraint the Beam:

Solution > Define Loads> Apply> Structural> Displacement> On nodes
Apply Loads:
Load Step 1 - Initial Conditions:

Solution > Load Step Opts > Time/Frequency > Time - Time Step
Write Load Step File

Solution > Load Step Opts > Write LS File
Repeat the above two steps for all load step.
Main Menu > Solution > Solve > From LS Files

Click Add
Click List to get the stored variables list
Click Plot UY vs Frequency
Expand the Solution

Solution > Analysis Type > ExpansionPass ON
Load Step Opts > ExpansionPass > Single Expand > Range of Solu's
Review the results using either General Postprocessing or TimeHist Postprocessing. For this case,
we can view the deformed shape at each of the 10 solutions we expanded.
Damped Response of the Cantilever Beam

Utility Menu > File > List > Other > Dynamic.s01
Change the damping value BETAD from 0 to 0.01 in all three load step files
Re-run Job for new load step files:

Utility Menu > file > Clear and Start New
Review the results using either General Postprocessing or TimeHist Postprocessing.

Simple Conduction Example
Introduction
The Simple Conduction Example is constrained as shown in the following figure. Thermal
conductivity (k) of the material is 10 W/m*C and the block is assumed to be infinitely long.
Give example a Title

Utility Menu > File > Change Title ...
Create geometry
Preprocessor > Modeling > Create > Areas > Rectangle > By 2 Corners > X=0, Y=0, Width=1,
Height=1
Define the Type of Element

Preprocessor > Element Type > Add/Edit/Delete... > click 'Add' > Select Thermal Solid, Quad
4Node 55
Element Material Properties

Preprocessor > Material Props > Material Models > Thermal > Conductivity > Isotropic >
KXX = 10 (Thermal conductivity)
MP,KXX,1,10
Mesh Size
Preprocessor > Meshing > Size Cntrls > ManualSize > Areas > All Areas > 0.05
AESIZE,ALL,0.05
Mesh
Preprocessor > Meshing > Mesh > Areas > Free > Pick All
AMESH,ALL
Solution > Analysis Type > New Analysis > Steady-State
ANTYPE,0
Apply Constraints
Solution > Define Loads > Apply
Thermal > Temperature > On Nodes
Solve the System

Solution > Solve > Current LS
SOLVE
Results Using
ANSYS
Plot Temperature
General Postproc > Plot Results > Contour Plot > Nodal Solu ... > DOF solution,
Temperature
Thermal - Mixed Boundary Example
(Conduction/Convection/Insulated)
Introduction
Analysis of a simple conduction as well a mixed conduction/convection/insulation problem will be
demonstrated. The Mixed Convection/Conduction/Insulated Boundary Conditions Example is
constrained as shown in the following figure (Note that the section is assumed to be infinitely
long).

Create geometry
Preprocessor > Modeling > Create > Areas > Rectangle > By 2 Corners > X=0, Y=0,
Width=1, Height=1
BLC4,0,0,1,1

Preprocessor > Element Type > Add/Edit/Delete... > click 'Add' > Select Thermal Solid,
Quad 4Node 55
ET,1,PLANE55
Element Material Properties

Preprocessor > Material Props > Material Models > Thermal > Conductivity > Isotropic >
KXX = 10
MP,KXX,1,10
Mesh Size
Preprocessor > Meshing > Size Cntrls > ManualSize > Areas > All Areas > 0.05
AESIZE,ALL,0.05
Mesh
Preprocessor > Meshing > Mesh > Areas > Free > Pick All
AMESH,ALL

Solution > Analysis Type > New Analysis > Steady-State
ANTYPE,0
Apply Conduction Constraints

Solution > Define Loads > Apply > Thermal > Temperature > On Lines
Apply Convection Boundary Conditions

Solution > Define Loads > Apply > Thermal > Convection > On Lines
Apply Insulated Boundary Conditions

Solution > Define Loads > Apply > Thermal > Convection > On Lines
Solve the System

SOLVE
Results Using ANSYS

Plot Temperature
General Postproc > Plot Results > Contour Plot > Nodal Solu ... > DOF solution,
Temperature TEMP
Coupled Structural/Thermal Analysis
Introduction
This tutorial was completed using ANSYS 13.0 The purpose of this tutorial is to outline a simple
coupled thermal/structural analysis. A steel link, with no internal stresses, is pinned between
two solid structures at a reference temperature of 0 C (273 K). One of the solid structures is
heated to a temperature of 75 C (348 K). As heat is transferred from the solid structure into the
link, the link will attemp to expand. However, since it is pinned this cannot occur and as such,
stress is created in the link. A steady-state solution of the resulting stress will be found to
simplify the analysis.
Loads will not be applied to the link, only a temperature change of 75 degrees Celsius. The link
is steel with a modulus of elasticity of 200 GPa, a thermal conductivity of 60.5 W/m*K and a
thermal expansion coefficient of 12e-6 /K.
A sequentially coupled physics analysis is the combination of analyses from different

engineering disciplines which interact to solve a global engineering problem. For convenience,
the solutions and procedures associated with a particular engineering discipline [will be
referred to as] a physics analysis. When the input of one physics analysis depends on the results
from another analysis, the analyses are coupled. Thus, each different physics environment must
be constructed seperately so they can be used to determine the coupled physics solution.
However, it is important to note that a single set of nodes will exist for the entire model. By
creating the geometry in the first physical environment, and using it with any following coupled
environments, the geometry is kept constant. For our case, we will create the geometry in the
Thermal Environment, where the thermal effects will be applied. Although the geometry must
remain constant, the element types can change. For instance, thermal elements are required
for a thermal analysis while structural elements are required to deterime the stress in the link.
It is important to note, however that only certain combinations of elements can be used for a
coupled physics analysis. For a listing, see Chapter 2 of the ANSYS Coupled-Field Guide located
in the help file. The process requires the user to create all the necessary environments, which
are basically the preprocessing portions for each environment, and write them to memory.
Then in the solution phase they can be combined to solve the coupled analysis.
Thermal Environment - Create Geometry and Define Thermal Properties

Open preprocessor menu

ANSYS Main Menu > Preprocessor
/PREP7
Define Keypoints
Preprocessor > Modeling > Create > Keypoints > In Active CS...
K,#,x,y,z
Create Lines
Preprocessor > Modeling > Create > Lines > Lines > In Active Coord
L,1,2
Preprocessor > Element Type > Add/Edit/Delete...
Define Real Constants

Preprocessor > Real Constants... > Add...
Define Element Material Properties

Preprocessor > Material Props > Material Models > Thermal > Conductivity > Isotropic
Define Mesh Size

Preprocessor > Meshing > Size Cntrls > ManualSize > Lines > All Lines...
Mesh the frame

Preprocessor > Meshing > Mesh > Lines > click 'Pick All'
Write Environment
Preprocessor > Physics > Environment > Write
Clear Environment
Preprocessor > Physics > Environment > Clear > OK
Structural Environment - Define Physical Properties

Switch Element Type
Preprocessor > Element Type > Switch Elem Type

Preprocessor > Material Props > Material Models > Structural > Linear > Elastic >
Isotropic
Preprocessor > Material Props > Material Models > Structural > Thermal
Expansion Coef > Isotropic
Write Environment
Preprocessor > Physics > Environment > Write

Solution > Analysis Type > New Analysis > Static
ANTYPE,0
Read in the Thermal Environment

Solution > Physics > Environment > Read
Apply Constraints
Solution > Define Loads > Apply > Thermal > Temperature > On Keypoints
Solve the System

SOLVE
Close the Solution Menu
Main Menu > Finish
Read in the Structural Environment

Solution > Physics > Environment > Read
Apply Constraints
Include Thermal Effects

Solution > Define Loads > Apply > Structural > Temperature > From Therm Analy
Define Reference Temperature

Preprocessor > Loads > Define Loads > Settings > Reference Temp
Solve the System

SOLVE
Postprocessing
Get Stress Data

General Postproc > Element Table > Define Table > Add
List the Stress Data

General Postproc > Element Table > List Elem Table > COMPSTR > OK
PRETAB,CompStr
Design Optimization
Introduction
This tutorial was completed using ANSYS 13.0 The purpose of this tutorial is to introduce a
method of solving design optimization problems using ANSYS. This will involve creating the
geometry utilizing parameters for all the variables, deciding which variables to use as design,
state and objective variables and setting the correct tolerances for the problem to obtain an
accurately converged solution in a minimal amount of time. The use of hardpoints to apply
forces/constraints in the middle of lines will also be covered in this tutorial.
A beam has a force of 1000N applied as shown below. The purpose of this optimization
problem is to minimize the weight of the beam without exceeding the allowable stress. It is
necessary to find the cross sectional dimensions of the beam in order to minimize the weight of
the beam. However, the width and height of the beam cannot be smaller than 10mm. The
maximum stress anywhere in the beam cannot exceed 200 MPa. The beam is to be made of
steel with a modulus of elasticity of 200 GPa.
/title, Design Optimization
Enter initial estimates for variables

Utility Menu > Parameters > Scalar Parameters...
Define Keypoints
Preprocessor > Modeling > Create > Keypoints > In Active CS...
K,#,x,y
Create Lines
Preprocessor > Modeling > Create > Lines > Lines > In Active Coord
L,1,2
Create Hard Keypoints

Preprocessor > Modeling > Create > Keypoints > Hard PT on line > Hard PT by ratio.
Define Element Types

Preprocessor > Element Type > Add/Edit/Delete...
Define Real Constants

Preprocessor > Real Constants... > Add...

Preprocessor > Material Props > Material Models > Structural > Linear > Elastic >
Isotropic
Define Mesh Size

Preprocessor > Meshing > Size Cntrls > ManualSize > Lines > All Lines...
Mesh the frame
Preprocessor > Meshing > Mesh > Lines > click 'Pick All'
LMESH,ALL

Solution > Analysis Type > New Analysis > Static
ANTYPE,0
Apply Constraints
Apply Loads
Solve the System

SOLVE
Postprocessing: Viewing the Results
Define the volume

General Postproc > Element Table > Define Table... > Add...
General Postproc > Element Table > Sum of Each Item...
Store the data (Volume) as a parameter

Utility Menu > Parameters > Get Scalar Data...
Define the maximum stress at the i node of each element in the beam
General Postproc > List Results > Sorted Listing > Sort Elems
Store the data (Max Stress) as a parameter

Define maximum stress at the j node of each element for the beam
General Postproc > List Results > Sorted Listing > Sort Elems
Store the data (Max Stress) as a parameter

Select the largest of SMAXJ and SMAXI

Type SMAX=SMAXI>SMAXJinto the command line
View the parametric data

Utility Menu > Parameters > Scalar Parameters
Design Optimization
Write the command file
Utility Menu > File > Write DB Log File...
Several small changes need to be made to this file prior to commencing the optimization. If
you created the geometry etc. using command line code, most of these changes will
already be made. However, if you used GUI to create this file there are several occasions
where you used the graphical picking device. Therefore, the actual items that were chosen
need to be entered. The code 'P51X' symbolizes the graphical selection. To modify the file
simply open it using notepad and make the required changes. Save and close the file once
you have made all of the required changes. The following is a list of the changes which need
to be made to this file (which was created using the GUI method)
Line 32 - DK,P51X, ,0, ,0,UX,UY, , , , ,

Change this to: DK,1, ,0, ,0,UX,UY,
This specifies the constraints at keypoint 1
Line 37 - DK,P51X, ,0, ,0,UY, , , , , ,

Change to: DK,2, ,0, ,0,UY,
This specifies the constraints at keypoint 2
Line 42 - FK,P51X,FY,-2000
Change to: FK,3,FY,-2000
This specifies the force applied on the beam
Assign the Command File to the Optimization

Main Menu > Design Opt > Analysis File > Assign
Define Variables and Tolerances
ANSYS needs to know which variables are critical to the optimization. To define variables,
we need to know which variables have an effect on the variable to be minimized. In this
example our objective is to minimize the volume of a beam which is directly related to
the weight of the beam. ANSYS categorizes three types of variables for design
optimization:
Design Variables (DVs)
Independent variables that directly effect the design objective. In this example, the
width and height of the beam are the DVs. Changing either variable has a direct effect on
the solution of the problem.
State Variables (SVs)

Dependent variables that change as a result of changing the DVs. These variables are
necessary to constrain the design. In this example, the SV is the maximum stress in the
beam. Without this SV, our optimization will continue until both the width and height
are zero. This would minimize the weight to zero which is not a useful result.
Objective Variable (OV)

The objective variable is the one variable in the optimization that needs to be minimized.
In our problem, we will be minimizing the volume of the beam.
Define the Design Variables (width and height of beam)

Main Menu > Design Opt > Design Variables... > Add...
Define the State Variables

Main Menu > Design Opt > State Variables... > Add...
Define the Objective Variable

Main Menu > Design Opt > Objective...
Define the Optimization Method

Main Menu > Design Opt > Method / Tool...
Run the Optimization

Main Menu > Design Opt > Run...
View the Results
View Final Parameters

Utility Menu > Parameters > Scalar Parameters...
View graphical results of each variable during the solution

Main Menu > Design Opt > Design Sets > Graphs / Tables...
Utility Menu > PlotCtrls > Hard Copy...
Main Menu > Design Opt > Design Sets > List...

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ANALYSIS OF TRUSS

Analysis of a Truss consists of:

LINK180 Input Summary

LINK- Assumptions and Restrictions

Specify the element type using the following menu path:

Specify real constants (R command) using the following menu path:

Create keypoints (K command) using the following menu path:

Create a line (L command) using the following menu path:

Apply displacement constraints (D command) using the following menu path:

ANALYSIS OF BEAMS CONSISTS OF

COMMON BEAM SUPPORT AND LOAD CONFIGURATIONS

BEAM188 Input Summary

BEAM189 is a uniaxial element with tension, compression,

BEAM189 Input Summary

Nodes-I, J, K (K orientation node is optional)

BEAM188 Assumptions and Restrictions

BEAM189 Assumptions and Restrictions

SUGGESTED EXERCISE STEPS

Specify the element type using the following menu path:

In structural mechanics, a flat thin sheet of

One of the dimensions is much larger than the other two.

Use the axisymmetric option when the geometry, material

List of Plane Stress and Plane Strain and Axisymmetric Element

SUGGESTED EXERCISE STEPS

SUGGESTED EXERCISE STEPS

Create a line (L command) using the following menu path:

Specify the element type using the following menu path:

Specify Section using the following menu path:

Define Analysis Type:

Set Solution Controls

View the deformed shape

View the deflection contour plot

List Horizontal Displacement

Eigenvalue Buckling Analysis:

Create keypoints (K command) using the following menu path:

Create a line (L command) using the following menu path:

Specify the element type using the following menu path:

Specify Section using the following menu path:

Define Mesh Size:

Define Analysis Type:

Activate Prestress effects:

Define Analysis Type:

Specify Buckling analysis options:

Expand the solution:

View the Buckling load

View the Mode Shape

NonLinear Buckling Analysis:

Create a line (L command) using the following menu path:

Specify the element type using the following menu path:

Specify Section using the following menu path:

Define Mesh Size:

Define Analysis Type:

Set Solution Controls

View the deformed shape

View the deflection contour plot

List Horizontal Displacement

Time history Post Processing:

SUGGESTED EXERCISE STEPS

Create keypoints (K command) using the following menu path:

Create a line (L command) using the following menu path:

Specify the element type using the following menu path:

Specify real constants (R command) using the following menu path:

Define Mesh Size:

Define Analysis Type: