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Tutorial 12: Nonlinear Gap Analysis of an Airplane Wing Rib.

In this tutorial, an existing finite element model of an aluminum wing rib model will be used to demonstrate how to
perform nonlinear gap analysis using RADIOSS. HyperView will be used to post-process the stress and
deformation characteristics of the rib.

Wing rib model.

There are four shell components in the model: the mounting flange, the web, the top and bottom flanges, and the
lug. Gap elements have already been defined in the model and they connect the web to the lug. Coupling forces
are applied to the lug and pressure loading has been defined on the top and bottom flanges of the rib joint. The
mounting flange is constrained in all degrees of freedom at the four mounting hole locations and the lug is
constrained for the z-displacements and rotations to prevent rigid body motion.
The following exercises are included:
Exercise 1: Linear gap analysis on the aircraft rib

Create a cylindrical coordinate system and assign it to the gap elements.

Create a gap property and assign it to the gap elements.
Run a linear gap analysis.
Post-process the results from the linear gap analysis using HyperView.

Exercise 2: Nonlinear gap analysis on the aircraft rib.

Create a load collector to define nonlinear parameters.

Update the subcases to include the nonlinear load collectors.
Run a nonlinear gap static analysis.
Post-process results using HyperView.

Exercise 1: Linear gap analysis.

Step 1: Load the User Profile and Retrieve the Model File.
1. Launch HyperMesh.

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Tutorial 12: Nonlinear Gap Analysis of an Airplane Wing Rib.

2. Select RADIOSS in the User Profile dialog.
3. From the extended list, select BulkData.
This loads the User Profile. It includes the appropriate template, macro menu, and import reader, paring
down the functionality of HyperMesh to what is relevant for generating models in Bulk Data Format for
RADIOSS and OptiStruct.
User Profiles can also be accessed from the Preferences pull-down menu on the toolbar.
4. Click File > Open > Model.
An Open Model browser window opens.
5. Select the rib.hm file.
6. Click Open.
The rib.hm database is loaded into the current HyperMesh session, replacing any existing data. The
database only contains geometric data.
Note the location of rib.hm now displays in the file: field.

Step 2: Create a cylindrical coordinate system and assign it to the gap elements.
For gap elements with coincident nodes as is the case here, the gap coordinate system MUST be
specified.

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.

Click the System Collectors icon

.
Click the create radio button.
In the systcol name= field, enter cylindrical.
Click the card image switch and select no card image from the pop-up menu.
Click color and select a color from the color palette.
Click create.
Click return to exit the panel.
Click the Model tab to activate Model Browser, as shown below.
Hide all load collectors by right-clicking on LoadCollector and selecting Hide.

10. From the Model Browser, click the Isolate Shown icon
.
11. Expand the Component list and select the Lug component.
This will isolate the display of only the Lug component.

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Tutorial 12: Nonlinear Gap Analysis of an Airplane Wing Rib.

12. Click the XY Top Plane View

to set the model view.
13. Click Geometry > Create > Systems > Axis Direction to open the Systems panel.
14. The cyan halo around the yellow nodes button indicates that it is the current option. Select the center
node on the upper lug.
15. Click origin and select the center node again, click x-axis, select any node on the circumference and for
xy plane, select any node on the plane of the lug, as shown in the following figure:

16. Click the switch beside rectangular and select cylindrical.

17. Click create.
For cylindrical systems, the x-axis defines the radial direction (q= 0) and the xy plane defines the r-q
plane.
18. Repeat this process for the bottom lug (steps 11 through 17 of this sequence).

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Tutorial 12: Nonlinear Gap Analysis of an Airplane Wing Rib.

19. Click return.
20. Click the Model tab to activate the Model Browser, if you left it.
21. Select only the gap component.
With Isolate Show still active this will display only the gap component.

22.
23.
24.
25.

Click the Card Editor button

.
Click the entity selection switch on the top left of this panel and select elems.
Click elems and select by window from the pop-up menu.
Select the gap elements that are connected to the top lug, as shown by the selected window in the
following figure.

Gap elements connected to top lug.

26.
27.
28.
29.

Click select entities.

Click config= and select gap from the pop-up menu.
Click edit.
Click CID, and select the system that was created at the center of the top lug, as shown below.

30. Click return twice to go back to the main menu.

31. Repeat this process for the gap elements that are connected to the bottom lug.
The gap elements have now been assigned with a cylindrical coordinate system.

Step 3: Define a property card and assign it to the gap elements.

1. Click the Properties icon

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Tutorial 12: Nonlinear Gap Analysis of an Airplane Wing Rib.

2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.

Click prop name = and enter gap_prop.

Click colour and select a colour from the colour palette.
Click type = and select Springs_Gaps.
Click card image = and select PGAP.
Click create/edit.
Make sure the check box next to U0_opts is checked.
This way the initial gap opening is calculated automatically.
Make sure the check box next to KA_opts is checked.
This determines the value of KA for each gap element using the stiffness of surrounding elements
automatically.
Click return twice.
Click Mesh > Create > 1D Elements > Gaps to open the Gaps panel.
Select the update subpanel.
Click elems and select by collector from the pop-up menu.
Select gap by checking the box beside it.
Click the green select button.
Click property= and click on gap_prop.
Click update.
Check beside property.
Click update.
The gap elements have now been updated to the new property collector.
Click return.

Step 4: Run a linear gap analysis.

Two loadsteps have already been created in this HyperMesh model.

1. From the Analysis page, enter the Radioss panel.

2. Click save as following the input file: field.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

A Save As browser window opens.

Select the directory where you would like to write the file and enter the name rib_linear.fem in the
File name: field.
Click Save.
Note the name and location of the rib_linear.fem file displays in the input file: field.
Set the export options: toggle to all.
Click the run options: switch and select analysis.
Set the memory options: toggle to memory default.
Click Radioss.
This launches the RADIOSS job.
If the job was successful, new results files can be seen in the directory where the RADIOSS model file
rib_linear.fem was written. The rib_linear.out file is a good place to look for error messages
that will help to debug the input deck if any errors are present.
The default files written to the directory are:
rib_linear.html

HTML report of the analysis, giving a summary of the problem

formulation and the results.

rib_linear.out

RADIOSS output file containing specific information on the file setup,

the setup of the problem, estimates for the amount of RAM and disk
space required for the run and compute time information. Review this
file for warnings and errors that are flagged from processing the

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Tutorial 12: Nonlinear Gap Analysis of an Airplane Wing Rib.

rib_linear.fem file.
rib_linear.h3d

HyperView binary results file.

rib_linear.res

HyperMesh binary results file.

rib_linear.stat

Summary of analysis process, providing CPU information for each

step during analysis process.

Step 5: Post-process the results using HyperView.

1. From the Radioss panel, click the HyperView button.
This will launch HyperView and load the rib_linear.mvw file, reading the model and results.

2. Click the Curves Attributes button

and undisplay all components except the Web component. You

can do this by activating the Auto apply mode: check box, (activating Display Off) and then clicking on
the components that you want turned off in the Graphic User Interface (GUI).

3.
4.
5.
6.

Go to the Contour
panel.
Select the first pull-down menu below Result type: and select Element Stresses (2D & 3D).
Select the second pull-down menu below Result type: and select vonMises.
Above the Results Browser in the left hand panel are the Load Case and Simulation Selection dropdown menus.

7. Select Subcase 1 (Coup_Vert) from the Load Case drop-down menu.

8. Click the XY Top Plane View icon
9. Click Apply.

to display a top view of the Web.

This should show the contour of stresses on the Web component under the coupled loading.

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Tutorial 12: Nonlinear Gap Analysis of an Airplane Wing Rib.

Stress results on the Web from linear gap analysis.

10. Click Delete Page

to end the HyperView session.

Exercise 2: Nonlinear gap analysis

Step 1: Create a load collector defining parameters for nonlinear static analysis.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Click the LoadCollectors icon

.
Enter the create subpanel by selecting the radio button on the left-hand side of the panel.
Click loadcol name = and enter nonlinear.
Click color and select a color from the color palette.
Click card image = and select NLPARM from the pop-up menu.
Click create/edit.
Click on NINC and enter 10.
NINC denotes the number of load sub-increments. If NINC is blank, then the entire loading is applied at
once. An NINC of 10 signifies that the load will be sub-divided into 10 equal increments.
8. Click on MAXITER and leave the default value of 25.
9. The error tolerances EPSU, EPSP and EPSW can be left at their default values.
For details on these tolerances, please read the section Nonlinear Quasi-static Gap and Contact Analysis
in the Help.
10. Click return twice.

Step 2: Update the loadsteps to include the nonlinear step.

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Click Setup > Create > LoadSteps to open the LoadSteps panel.
Click review and select the Coup_Vert collector.
Check the box next to NLPARM and a new area opens.
Click on = next to NLPARM and select to the newly created nonlinear load collector.
Click update.
Repeat this process for the Pressure collector.

Step 3: Run a nonlinear gap analysis.

1. From the Analysis page, enter the Radioss panel.
2. Click save as following the input file: field..
A Save As browser window opens.
3. Select the directory where you would like to write the file and enter the name for the
rib_nonlinear.fem, in the File name: field.
4. Click Save.
Note the name and location of the rib_nonlinear.fem file displays in the input file: field.
5. Set the export options: toggle to all.
6. Click the run options: switch and select analysis.
7. Set the memory options: toggle to memory default.
8. Click Radioss.
This launches the RADIOSS job.
If the job was successful, new results files can be seen in the directory where the RADIOSS model file
rib_nonlinear.fem was written. The rib_nonlinear.out file is a good place to look for error
messages that will help to debug the input deck, if any errors are present.
The default files written to the directory are:

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Tutorial 12: Nonlinear Gap Analysis of an Airplane Wing Rib.

rib_nonlinear.html

HTML report of the analysis, giving a summary of the problem

formulation and the results.

rib_nonlinear.out

RADIOSS output file containing specific information on the file setup,

the setup of the problem, estimates for the amount of RAM and disk
space required for the run and compute time information. Review this
file for warnings and errors that are flagged from processing the
rib_nonlinear.fem file.

rib_nonlinear.res

HyperMesh binary results file.

rib_nonlinear.h3d

HyperView binary results file.

rib_nonlinear.stat

Summary of analysis process, providing CPU information for each

step during analysis process.

Step 4: Post-process results using HyperView

1. From the Radioss panel, click the HyperView button.
This will launch HyperView and load the rib_nonlinear.h3d file, reading the model and results.
2. Go to the Curves attributes panel
and undisplay all the components except the Web component.
You can do that by activating the Auto apply mode: to Display Off and then clicking the components
that you want turned off in the GUI.

3.
4.
5.
6.

Click the Contour panel toolbar button .

Select the first pull-down menu below Result type: and select Element Stresses (2D & 3D).
Select the second pull-down menu below Result type: and select vonMises.
Above the Results Browser in the left hand panel are the Load Case and Simulation Selection dropdown menus.
7. Click Load Case > Subcase 1 (Coup_Vert).
8. Click the XY Top Plane View icon
to display a top view of the Web.
9. Click Apply.
This should show the contour of stresses on the Web component under the coupled loading.

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Tutorial 12: Nonlinear Gap Analysis of an Airplane Wing Rib.

Stress results on the Web from nonlinear gap analysis.

Analysis Review
Even though the deformation patterns are similar for both linear and nonlinear analyses, the stress patterns differ.
Though the horizontal loads are in opposing directions in the lug, the stress distribution in the web for the linear
run are the same around both the lug holes which is not correct. This happens as all the gaps are in a closed
condition for the linear analysis. Nonlinear gap analysis gives more accurate representation. The gap status,
open or closed, depending on loading condition can also be observed from the .out file (shown below):
ITERATION 0
NONLINEAR ITERATION SUMMARY Subcase 1

LOAD FACTOR: 0.1000

-----------------------------------------------------------Nonlinear Error Measures
ITER

EUI

EPI

EWI

Gap Elem Status

Open

Closed

-----------------------------------------------------------1

9.9000E+01

1.1659E+00

1.1659E+00

23

25

2.9097E-02

2.5218E+02

1.1274E+01

23

25

8.4208E-05

1.9063E+01

1.9427E-02

22

26

1.4632E-06

0.0000E+00

0.0000E+00

22

26

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