Problem Statement
• Determine
displacement, strain
and stress
components
• Verify and validate the
results
A514 Steel
10
29 10
5
0.3
0.5
0.2
20,000
What’s Inside the Blackbox?
Post-processing
Displacements
Mathematical Numerical Color pictures
User inputs at
Model Solution & other results
selected points
Physical principles Blackbox
Assumptions
Hand calculations
Plate with a
hole Experimental data
1
Mathematical Model: Boundary Value Problem
Governing equations + Boundary conditions
Physical principle: Eqbm. of infinitesimal element Differential Equations of
or Σ 0 Equilibrium
∆ 0
∆ 0
• 2 eqs.: Force balance in x and y directions
• 3 unknown functions: , , , , ,
• Need additional equations
Additional Equations
Stress-strain
1 2 1
relations
1
Strain-
displacement
relations
2
Mathematical Model: Governing Equations Summary
• Equations 0
– 2: Equilibrium equations in x, y directions
– 3: Stress-strain relations
0
– 3: Strain-displacement relations
• Unknown functions
– 3 stress components: , ,
– 3 strain components: , ,
– 2 displacement components: ,
• Primary unknowns: ,
– Can express the equilibrium equations in
terms of ,
Domain
u = u( x, y, z ) Symmetry
v = v( x , y, z ) line
Since and don’t
on z, the domain is
2D
Symmetry
line
3
Boundary Conditions
0
2 1
What’s Inside the ANSYS Blackbox?
Post-processing
Displacements
Mathematical Numerical Color pictures
User inputs at
Model Solution & other results
selected points
Physical principles Blackbox
Assumptions
Hand calculations
Plate with a
hole Experimental data
4
Numerical Solution Strategy: Finite-Element Method
Element
• Divide domain into elements
and nodes
• Reduce the problem to
determining displacement
values only at nodes
• Use polynomial interpolation
Nodes
to relate and at any point
within an element to the nodal
displacements
How to Find Nodal Displacements?
Mathematical Set of algebraic
Model (Boundary equations in Invert Nodal
Value Problem) nodal displacements
displacements
Post
Element-by- processing
element
polynomial ,
interpolation for Strains & Stresses
,
Each algebraic
equation will relate a
nodal displacement to
its neighbors
5
Relationship to Principle of Virtual Work
Mathematical Set of algebraic
Model (Boundary equations in
Value Problem) nodal
displacements
Element-by-
element
polynomial
interpolation for
,
Principle of virtual
work
(Minimization
problem)
How to Reduce the Error in the Finite Element Solution?
Mathematical Set of algebraic Original Mesh Refined Mesh
Model (Boundary equations in
Value Problem) nodal
displacements
Element-by-element
polynomial interpolation
for ,
• FE solution tends to the exact
solution as polynomial
interpolation gets better
– Increase no. of elements
– Increase order of polynomial
within each element
6
Hand Calculations: Analytical Solution for Infinite Plate
Post-processing
Displacements
Mathematical Numerical Color pictures
User inputs at
Model Solution & other results
selected points
Physical principles Blackbox
Assumptions
Hand calculations
Plate with a
hole Experimental data
• Airy stress function approach
– Polar coordinates
– Solve for stresses directly
Hand Calculations: 1D Approximation
Post-processing
Displacements
Mathematical Numerical Color pictures
User inputs at
Model Solution & other results
selected points
Physical principles Blackbox
Assumptions
Hand calculations
Plate with a
hole Experimental data
7
Verification & Validation
• Verification: Did I solve the model right?
• Validation: Did I solve the right model?
Verification Steps
• Check boundary conditions
• Check against 1D hand calculation
• Check against 2D analytical solution for infinite plate
• Check if reactions balance the applied load
• Check discretization error by refining the mesh
