Applying a pure torque to a circular shaft should produce torsional deformation without bending. However, a finite element model may show an unexpected bending component even when the geometry, loading direction, and boundary conditions appear correct. This article uses a simple circular shaft to demonstrate how an automatically generated mesh can introduce a small unbalanced … Continue reading When a Pure Torque Causes Bending: The Limitation of Automatic Meshing in SolidWorks Simulation and a Comparison with Ansys Mechanical
Stress analysis
Understanding Nonlinear Analysis
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
Thermo-structural Simulation: An Example of Laser Welding Process
Laser welding is a highly localized heat input process in which a moving heat source induces steep thermal gradients. These gradients lead to thermal expansion and contraction generating residual stresses. They may also cause material softening or phase changes in the heat-affected zone. From a modelling perspective, laser welding process is a sequentially coupled problem … Continue reading Thermo-structural Simulation: An Example of Laser Welding Process
Nonlinear buckling analysis: considering both large deformation and material nonlinearity
In this post, we are going to do a nonlinear buckling analysis for a thin arch shell under uniformly distributed pressure. The configuration of the arch shell is as follows During the analysis, a linear buckling analysis will be conducted first to obtain the 1st-order eigenvalue (i.e. the linear buckling load) and eigenmode (i.e. buckling … Continue reading Nonlinear buckling analysis: considering both large deformation and material nonlinearity
Plastic limit analysis of a statically indeterminate beam
A structure can become unstable when a load reaches its buckling value or when nonlinear material becomes unstable. It is possible to observe the full response of a structure under proportional (ramped) loads using elastic-plastic analysis in ANSYS, so the plastic limit load and the location of plastic hinges can be determined. In this post, … Continue reading Plastic limit analysis of a statically indeterminate beam
A comparison between ANSYS Mechanical and Simulation in SolidWorks
A Comparison between ANSYS Mechanical and SolidWorks Simulation
The large deformation analysis of a hyperelastic tensile test sample
This example shows the static analysis of a tensile test sample made of rubber. The dimensions of the sample are shown in the following figure. The thickness of the sample is 1.5mm. Using the symmetry, only 1/8 of the sample is analyzed. After solving the 1/8 model, the results of the full model can be … Continue reading The large deformation analysis of a hyperelastic tensile test sample
The stress and deformation analysis of a rubber O ring
In this post, we are going to analyze the stress and deformation of a rubber O ring as shown in the following figure. The rubber O ring is often used for sealing purposes. It may be under large pressure and its deformation is constrained by the sealing groove. Due to the large difference in the … Continue reading The stress and deformation analysis of a rubber O ring
Harmonic analysis: A steel disk example
Harmonic analysis is used to determine the steady-state response of a linear structure to loads that vary sinusoidally (harmonically) with time, thus enabling you to verify whether or not your designs will successfully overcome resonance, fatigue, and other harmful effects of forced vibrations. This analysis technique calculates only the steady-state, forced vibrations of a structure. … Continue reading Harmonic analysis: A steel disk example
The application of contact elements: A bolted beam-column connection
In this post, we are going to explore the application of CONTA174 (i.e. 3D 8-node face-face contact element). CONTA174 is used to represent contact and sliding between 3D target surfaces and a deformable surface defined by this element. It can be used for both pair-based contact and general contact. In the case of pair-based contact, … Continue reading The application of contact elements: A bolted beam-column connection
Xutao Sun 