University of Puerto Rico at Mayagez Department of Mechanical Engineering

Workshop 5:
Modal Analysis of a Model Airplane Wing
Modified by (2008): Dr. Vijay K. Goyal Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering University of Puerto Rico at Mayagez Thanks to UPRM students enrolled in INME 4058 sections 2006-08

Problem Description
This is a simple modal analysis of a model airplane wing. The wing is of uniform configuration along its length and its cross-sectional area is defined to be a straight line and a spline. It is held fixed to the body of the airplane on one end and hangs freely at the other. The objective of the problem is to find the wing's natural frequencies and mode shapes. The dimensions of the wing are shown below.

Problem Description (cont.)

Material: Low density polyethylene Properties: 3 E (Young's modulus): 38 x 10 psi (Poisson's ratio): 0.3 -5 (Density): 8.3 x 10 lbf-sec2/in4

Starting ANSYS

From your desktop: Click on: START > All Programs > ANSYS 10.0 > ANSYS Product Launcher. Here we will set our Working Directory and the Graphics Manager

Working Directory Setup

This is the 10.0 ANSYS Product Launcher main window. Select the Working Directory and type the name of work shop on Job Name.

Graphics Setup

Click the button: Customization/Preferences. On the item of Use custom memory settings type 128 on Total Workspace (MB): and type 64 on Database (MB): Then click the Run bottom.

* This setup applies to computers running under 512 MB of RAM

ANSYS GUI Overview

This is ANSYSs Graphical User Interface window.

Step 1: Set Preferences

Well set preferences in order to filter quantities that relate to this discipline only. Click Preferences from ANSYS Main Menu. Select (check): Structural & h-Method

Step 2: Element Type

Define element types (Well select two element types)

1. ANSYS Main Menu > Preprocessor > Element type > Add/Edit/Delete

2. Click ADD

Adding First Element Type

3. Structural Mass > Solid family of elements. Choose Quad 4node (PLANE42). Click Apply
*PLANE42: is used for 2-D modeling of solid

structures. The element can be used either as a plane element (the stress or plane strain) or as an axisymmetric element. The element Is defined by four nodes having two degrees of freedom at each node: translations in the nodal x and y directions. The element has plasticity, creep, swelling, stress stiffening, large deflection, and large strain capabilities.

Well use this element type to define the wings mesh on the sectional area.

Step 2: Element Type

Adding Second Element Type

4. Structural Mass > Solid family of elements. Choose Brick 8node (SOLID45). Click Apply 5. Click Apply > OK > Close
*SOLID45: is used for the 3-D modeling of solid structures. The element is defined by eight nodes having three degrees of freedom at each node: translations in the nodal x, y, and z directions.

Well use this element type to define the mesh along the extruded solid surface of the wing

Step 2: Element Type

You should have two element types on the Element Types window

Step 3: Define Materials

In this section well define the wings constant material properties. Well select the materials behavior and then well define Youngs Modulus (E), poisons ratio (), and density ().

1. ANSYS Main Menu > Preprocessor > Material Properties > Material Models 2. (Double-click on) Structural > Linear > Elastic > Isotropic

Step 3: Define Materials

3. Enter: EX: 38000 PRXY: 0.3 4. Click OK 5. (Double-click on) Density 6. Enter: DENS: 8.3E-5

7. Click OK
8. Utility Menu > Material > Exit

Step 4: Build Geometry

Well start by creating keypoints, these well define the sectional area for our wing.

Keypoints: These are points, locations in 3D space.

1. ANSYS Main Menu > Preprocessor > Modeling > Create > Keypoints > In active CS 2. Enter 1 for Keypoint Number, enter 0,0,0 for X,Y,Z respectively. Click Apply

Step 4: Build Geometry

3. Enter 2 for Keypoint Number, enter 2,0,0 for X,Y,Z respectively. Click Apply 4. Enter 3 for Keypoint Number, enter 2.3,0.2,0 for X,Y,Z respectively. Click Apply 5. Enter 4 for Keypoint Number, enter 1.9,0.45,0 for X,Y,Z respectively. Click Apply 6. Enter 5 for Keypoint Number, enter 1.0,0.25,0 for X,Y,Z respectively. Click Apply 7. Click OK Display Window after creating all five Keypoints
Notice that for all 1-5 keypoints, Z-values are always 0. This makes sense since sectional areas are always on 2D-plane. (X-Y planes for our case)

Step 4: Build Geometry

Next, well create lines and curves (splines) that will connect the keypoints, thus creating the geometric outline of the wings sectional area. Well start by creating straight lines from point 1-2 and 1-5.

1. Main Menu > Preprocessor > Modeling > Create > Lines > Straight Lines

This feature creates a straight line between two points.

2. Select keypoints 1 and 2.

Click Apply
3. Select keypoints 1 and 5. Click Apply

Step 4: Build Geometry

Next, well create a line curve or Spline that connects keypoints 2, 3, 4 and 5.

4. ANSYS Main Menu > Preprocessor > Modeling > Create > Lines > Splines > with options > spline thru KPs

When selecting with options, gives the preference to specify the slope vector at which the spline enters each connecting keypoint.

5. Pick Keypoints 2,3,4,5. Click Apply

6. Enter:
Slope of spline entering @ keypoint 1 XV1= -1 YV1= 0 ZV1= 0

Slope of spline entering @ keypoint 5

XV6= -1

YV6= -0.25 ZV6= 0

Again, notice that Z-values are 0 since were working on X-Y planes.

7. Click OK

Step 4: Build Geometry

When finished, the wings outline geometry should look like this.

Next well proceed on filling the outlined geometry with an actual sectional area or body.

Step 4: Build Geometry

To generate an area bounded by the previously created lines do as follows:

1. ANSYS Main Menu > Preprocessor > Modeling > Create > Areas > Arbitrary > By lines
2. Pick all 3 lines. Click OK

By selecting all three lines were forming a closed loop which will bound our sectional area.

Step 4: Build Geometry

Your wing should look like this:

Step 5: Create Mesh

Here well define the meshing for our wing model.

1. ANSYS Main Menu > Preprocessor > Meshing>Mesh Tool.

2. Under Size Control, set the Global Size.

3.Enter: SIZE Element edge length: 0.25 NVID No. of element divisions: 0

4. Click OK

Step 5: Create Mesh

5. Click Mesh 6. Be sure to pick the enclosed area.

7. Click OK

Step 5: Create Mesh

Now well extrude a mesh volume using our second element type (solid 45).

1. ANSYS Main Menu > Preprocessor > Modeling > Operate > Extrude > Elements ext opts.

2.Choose 2 (SOLID45) for Element type number.

3. Enter 10 for number of element divisions. 4. Click OK

Step 5: Create Mesh

5. ANSYS Main Menu > Preprocessor > Modeling > Operate > Extrude > Areas > By XYZ offset 6.Pick All (in picking menu) 7.Enter 0,0,10 for offsets for extrusion in the Z direction 8. Click OK. Then click Close on the Warning window.

Step 6: Apply Loads

Before applying constraints to the fixed end of the wing, unselect all PLANE42 elements used in the 2-D area mesh since they will not be used for the analysis.

1. Utility Menu > Select > Entities. 2. Choose Elements on first scroll down.

3. Choose by Attributes on second scroll down.

4. Choose Elem type num. 5. Enter 1 on Min, Max, Inc box.

6. Choose Unselect.
7. Click Apply, then Ok .

Step 6: Apply Loads

Constraints will be applied to all nodes located where the wing is fixed to the body. Select all nodes at z = 0, then apply the displacement constraints.

1. Utility Menu > Select > Entities 2. Choose Nodes on first scroll down. 3. Choose By Location on second scroll down. 3. Choose Z coordinate. 4. Enter 0 on Min, Max, Inc box. 5. Choose From Full. 6. Click Apply, then Ok .

Step 6: Apply Loads

7. ANSYS Main Menu > Preprocessor > Loads >Define Loads> Apply > Structural > Displacement > On Nodes 8. Pick All to pick all selected nodes. 9. Choose All DOF 10. Click OK

Step 7: Obtain Solution

Specify Analysis Type and Options

1. ANSYS Main Menu > Solution > Analysis Type > New Analysis 2. Choose Modal 3. Click OK

Step 7: Obtain Solution

4. ANSYS Main Menu > Solution > Analysis type > Analysis Option 5. Ensure Block Lanczos is selected
(Block Lanczos is the default for a modal analysis.)

6. Enter: No. of nodes to extract: 5

No. of nodes to expand: 5

7. Click OK 8. Frequency Range: 1 500 9. Click OK

Step 7: Obtain Solution

1. ANSYS Main Menu > Solution > Solve > Current LS 2. Close the Note window. 3. Close the /STATUS Command window

Step 8: Review Results

List the natural frequencies

1. ANSYS Main Menu > General PostProc > Results Summary 2. Close after observing the listing. *This listing shows the five different frequency analysis done by ANSYS

Step 8: Review Results

Animate the 5 different modes shape

The following shows the animation results for the first frequency mode

1. ANSYS Main Menu > General PostProc > Read Results > First Set *If you want to obtain a different frequency animation, you need to select which one using

ANSYS Main Menu > General PostProc > Read Results > By Pick

2.Utility Menu > Plot Crtls > Animate > Mode Shapes

Step 8: Review Results

3. Enter: No. of frames to create: Time delay (seconds): 4. Click OK 10 0.5

Step 8: Review Results

Now the window shows the animation per frame and time selected for the wing. Notice the forces reflected on the wing. This is an excellent way to review the design.