I came across this SolidWorks white paper and found it excellently written. It gives a clear and practical introduction to nonlinear finite element analysis. It explains when a linear analysis is usually sufficient and when nonlinear effects, such as large deformation, material yielding, contact, or buckling, need to be considered. The examples are simple and … Continue reading Understanding Nonlinear Analysis
contact
Contact analysis: a bolted flange connection
A typical bolted flange connection (see Fig.1) is modeled in this example. Fig.1. The geometry of the model. Only the 1/4 model is created due to symmetry. The challenges in this example are as follows: Complicated geometry. Applying pretension to bolts. Multiple load steps. Modeling contact. It is worth mentioning that a special element Prentension179 … Continue reading Contact analysis: a bolted flange connection
Xutao Sun 