ANSYS BASIC
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SpringsandJoints
DesignOptimization
Substructuring
Substructuring
CoupledField Introduction
pElement
ThistutorialwascompletedusingANSYS7.0Thepurposeofthetutorialistoshowthehowtouse
ElementDeath substructuringinANSYS.Substructuringisaprocedurethatcondensesagroupoffiniteelementsinto
ContactElements
onesuperelement.Thisreducestherequiredcomputationtimeandalsoallowsthesolutionofvery
largeproblems.
APDL
Asimpleexamplewillbedemonstratedtoexplainthestepsrequired,however,pleasenotethatthis
modelisnotonewhichrequirestheuseofsubstructuring.Theexampleinvolvesablockofwood(E
Index
=10GPav=0.29)connectedtoablockofsilicone(E=2.5MPa,v=0.41)whichisrigidlyattachedto
theground.Aforcewillbeappliedtothestructureasshowninthefollowingfigure.Forthisexample,
substructuringwillbeusedforthewoodblock.
Contributions
Comments
MecE563
MechanicalEngineering
UniversityofAlberta
ANSYSInc.
Copyright2001
UniversityofAlberta TheuseofsubstructuringinANSYSisathreestageprocess:
1. GenerationPass
Generatethesuperelementbycondensingseveralelementstogether.Selectthedegreesof
freedomtosave(masterDOFs)andtodiscard(slaveDOFs).Applyloadstothesuperelement
2. UsePass
Createthefullmodelincludingthesuperelementcreatedinthegenerationpass.Apply
remainingloadstothemodel.Thesolutionwillconsistofthereducedsolutiontorthesuper
elementandthecompletesolutionforthenonsuperelements.
3. ExpansionPass
ExpandthereducedsolutiontoobtainthesolutionatallDOFsforthesuperelement.
Notethatathismethodisabottomupsubstructuring(eachsuperelementiscreatedseparatelyandthen
assembledintheUsePass).TopdownsubstructuringisalsopossibleinANSYS(theentiremodelis
built,thensuperelementarecreatedbyselectingtheappropriateelements).Thismethodissuitablefor
smallermodelsandhastheadvantagethattheresultsformultiplesuperelementscanbeassembledin
postprocessing.
ExpansionPass:CreatingtheSuperelement
Preprocessing:DefiningtheProblem
1. GiveGenerationPassaJobname
UtilityMenu>File>ChangeJobname...
Enter'GEN'forthejobname
2. Openpreprocessormenu
ANSYSMainMenu>Preprocessor
/PREP7
3. Creategeometryofthesuperelement
Preprocessor>Modeling>Create>Areas>Rectangle>By2Corners
BLC4,XCORNER,YCORNER,WIDTH,HEIGHT
Createarectanglewiththedimensions(allunitsinmm):
XCORNER(WPX)=0
YCORNER(WPY)=40
Width=100
Height=100
4. DefinetheTypeofElement
Preprocessor>ElementType>Add/Edit/Delete...
ForthisproblemwewillusePLANE42(2Dstructuralsolid).Thiselementhas4nodes,
eachwith2degreesoffreedom(translationalongtheXandYaxes).
5. DefineElementMaterialProperties
Preprocessor>MaterialProps>MaterialModels>Structural>Linear>Elastic>
Isotropic
Inthewindowthatappears,enterthefollowinggeometricpropertiesforwood:
i. Young'smodulusEX:10000(MPa)
ii. Poisson'sRatioPRXY:0.29
6. DefineMeshSize
Preprocessor>Meshing>SizeCntrls>ManualSize>Areas>AllAreas...
Forthisexamplewewilluseanelementedgelengthof10mm.
7. Meshtheblock
Preprocessor>Meshing>Mesh>Areas>Free>click'PickAll'
AMESH,1
SolutionPhase:AssigningLoadsandSolving
1. DefineAnalysisType
Solution>AnalysisType>NewAnalysis>Substructuring
ANTYPE,SUBST
2. SelectSubstructuringAnalysisOptions
Itisnecessarytodefinethesubstructuringanalysisoptions
SelectSolution>AnalysisType>AnalysisOptions
Thefollowingwindowwillappear.Ensurethattheoptionsarefilledinasshown.
Sename(thenameofthesuperelementmatrixfile)willdefaulttothejobname.
Inthiscase,thestiffnessmatrixistobegenerated.
WiththeoptionSEPR,thestiffnessmatrixorloadmatrixcanbeprintedtotheoutput
windowifdesired.
3. SelectMasterDegreesofFreedom
MasterDOFsmustbedefinedattheinterfacebetweenthesuperelementandotherelementsin
additiontopointswhereloads/constraintsareapplied.
SelectSolution>MasterDOFs>UserSelected>Define
SelecttheMasterDOFasshowninthefollowingfigure.
Inthewindowthatappears,setthe1stdegreeoffreedomtoAllDOF
4. ApplyLoads
Solution>DefineLoads>Apply>Structural>Force/Moment>OnNodes
Placealoadof5Ninthexdirectiononthetoplefthandnode
Themodelshouldnowappearasshowninthefigurebelow.
5. Savethedatabase
UtilityMenu>File>SaveasJobname.db
SAVE
Savethedatabasetobeusedagainintheexpansionpass
6. SolvetheSystem
Solution>Solve>CurrentLS
SOLVE
UsePass:UsingtheSuperelement
TheUsePassiswherewemodeltheentiremodel,includingthesuperelementsfromtheGeneration
Pass.
Preprocessing:DefiningtheProblem
1. Cleartheexistingdatabase
UtilityMenu>File>Clear&StartNew
2. GiveUsePassaJobname
UtilityMenu>File>ChangeJobname...
FILNAME,USE
Enter'USE'forthejobname
3. Openpreprocessormenu
ANSYSMainMenu>Preprocessor
/PREP7
NowweneedtobringtheSuperelementintothemodel
4. DefinetheSuperelementType
Preprocessor>ElementType>Add/Edit/Delete...
Select'Superelement'(MATRIX50)
5. Creategeometryofthenonsuperelement(Silicone)
Preprocessor>Modeling>Create>Areas>Rectangle>By2Corners
BLC4,XCORNER,YCORNER,WIDTH,HEIGHT
Createarectanglewiththedimensions(allunitsinmm):
XCORNER(WPX)=0
YCORNER(WPY)=0
Width=100
Height=40
6. DefinetheNonSuperelementType
Preprocessor>ElementType>Add/Edit/Delete...
WewillagainusePLANE42(2Dstructuralsolid).
7. DefineElementMaterialProperties
Preprocessor>MaterialProps>MaterialModels>Structural>Linear>Elastic>
Isotropic
Inthewindowthatappears,enterthefollowinggeometricpropertiesforsilicone:
i. Young'smodulusEX:2.5(MPa)
ii. Poisson'sRatioPRXY:0.41
8. DefineMeshSize
Preprocessor>Meshing>SizeCntrls>ManualSize>Areas>AllAreas...
Forthisblockwewillagainuseanelementedgelengthof10mm.Notethatisis
imperativethatthenodesofthenonsuperelementmatchupwiththesuperelement
MDOFs.
9. Meshtheblock
Preprocessor>Meshing>Mesh>Areas>Free>click'PickAll'
AMESH,1
10. OffsetNodeNumbering
Sinceboththesuperelementandthenonsuperelementwerecreatedindependently,theycontain
similarlynumberednodes(iebothobjectswillhavenode#1etc.).Ifwebringinthesuper
elementwithsimilarnodenumbers,thenodeswilloverwriteexistingnodesfromthenon
superelements.Therefore,weneedtooffsetthesuperelementnodes
Determinethenumberofnodesintheexistingmodel
SelectUtilityMenu>Parameters>GetScalarData...
Thefollowingwindowwillappear.SelectModelData,ForSelectedsetasshown.
FillinthefollowingwindowasshowntosetMaxNode=thehighestnodenumber
Offsetthenodenumbering
SelectPreprocessor>Modeling>Create>Elements>Superelements>BYCS
Transfer
Fillinthefollowingwindowasshowntooffsetthenodenumbersandsavethefileas
GEN2
Readinthesuperelementmatrix
SelectPreprocessor>Modeling>Create>Elements>Superelements>From.SUB
File...
Enter'GEN2'astheJobnameofthematrixfileinthewindow(shownbelow)
UtilityMenu>Plot>Replot
11. CoupleNodePairsatInterfaceofSuperelementandNonSuperelements
Selectthenodesattheinterface
SelectUtilityMenu>Select>Entities...
Thefollowingwindowwillappear.SelectNodes,ByLocation,Ycoordinates,40as
shown.
Couplethepairnodesattheinterface
SelectPreprocessor>Coupling/Ceqn>CoincidentNodes
Reselectallofthenodes
SelectUtilityMenu>Select>Entities...
Inthewindowthatappears,click'Nodes>ByNum/Pick>FromFull>SeleAll'
SolutionPhase:AssigningLoadsandSolving
1. DefineAnalysisType
Solution>NewAnalysis>Static
ANTYPE,0
2. ApplyConstraints
Solution>DefineLoads>Apply>Structural>Displacement>OnLines
Fixthebottomline(ieallDOFconstrained)
3. Applysuperelementloadvectors
Determinetheelementnumberofthesuperelement(SelectUtilityMenu>PlotCtrls>
Numbering...)
Youshouldfindthatthesuperelementiselement41
SelectSolution>DefineLoads>Apply>LoadVector>ForSuperelement
Thefollowingwindowwillappear.Fillitinasshowntoapplythesuperelementload
vector.
4. Savethedatabase
UtilityMenu>File>SaveasJobname.db
SAVE
Savethedatabasetobeusedagainintheexpansionpass
5. SolvetheSystem
Solution>Solve>CurrentLS
SOLVE
GeneralPostprocessing:ViewingtheResults
1. ShowtheDisplacementContourPlot
GeneralPostproc>PlotResults>ContourPlot>NodalSolution...>DOFsolution,
TranslationUSUM
PLNSOL,U,SUM,0,1
Notethatonlythedeformationforthenonsuperelementsisplotted.Thisresultsagreewithwhat
wasfoundwithoutusingsubstructuring(seefigurebelow).
ExpansionPass:ExpandingtheResultswithintheSuper
element
Toobtainthesolutionforallelementswithinthesuperelementyouwillneedtoperformanexpansion
pass.
Preprocessing:DefiningtheProblem
1. Cleartheexistingdatabase
UtilityMenu>File>Clear&StartNew
2. ChangetheJobnamebacktoGenerationpassJobname
UtilityMenu>File>ChangeJobname...
FILNAME,GEN
Enter'GEN'forthejobname
3. ResumeGenerationPassDatabase
UtilityMenu>File>ResumeJobname.db...
RESUME
SolutionPhase:AssigningLoadsandSolving
1. ActivateExpansionPass
EntertheSolutionmodebyselectingMainMenu>Solutionorbytyping/SOLUintothe
commandline.
Type'EXPASS,ON'intothecommandlinetoinitiatetheexpansionpass.
2. EntertheSuperelementnametobeExpanded
SelectSolution>LoadSTEPOPTS>ExpansionPass>SingleExpand>Expand
Superelem...
Thefollowingwindowwillappear.Fillitinasshowntoselectthesuperelement.
3. EntertheSuperelementnametobeExpanded
SelectSolution>LoadStepOpts>ExpansionPass>SingleExpand>ByLoadStep...
Thefollowingwindowwillappear.Fillitinasshowntoexpandthesolution.
4. SolvetheSystem
Solution>Solve>CurrentLS
SOLVE
GeneralPostprocessing:ViewingtheResults
1. ShowtheDisplacementContourPlot
GeneralPostproc>PlotResults>(ContourPlot)NodalSolution...>DOFsolution,
TranslationUSUM
PLNSOL,U,SUM,0,1
Notethatonlythedeformationforthesuperelementsisplotted(andthatthecontourintervals
havebeenmodifiedtobeginat0).Thisresultsagreewithwhatwasfoundwithoutusing
substructuring(seefigurebelow).
CommandFileModeofSolution
TheaboveexamplewassolvedusingamixtureoftheGraphicalUserInterface(orGUI)andthe
commandlanguageinterfaceofANSYS.ThisproblemhasalsobeensolvedusingtheANSYS
commandlanguageinterfacethatyoumaywanttobrowse.Openthe.HTMLversion,copyandpaste
thecodeintoNotepadorasimilartexteditorandsaveittoyourcomputer.Nowgoto'File>Read
inputfrom...'andselectthefile.A.PDFversionisalsoavailableforprinting.
