Explicit Dynamics Analysis

Mechanical Application User's Guide
Page: 1
Explicit Dynamics Analysis

Introduction
You can perform a transient explicit dynamics analysis in the Mechanical application using a
Explicit Dynamics system. Additionally, the Explicit Dynamics (LS-DYNA Export)
system is available to export the model in LS-DYNA .k file format for subsequent analysis
with the LS-DYNA solver. Unless specifically mentioned otherwise, this section addresses bo
the Explicit Dynamics and Explicit Dynamics (LS-DYNA Export) systems. Special conditions f
the Explicit Dynamics (LS-DYNA Export) system are noted where pertinent.
An explicit dynamics analysis is used to determine the dynamic response of a structure due
stress wave propagation, impact or rapidly changing time-dependent loads. Momentum
exchange between moving bodies and inertial effects are usually important aspects of the t
of analysis being conducted. This type of analysis can also be used to model mechanical
phenomena that are highly nonlinear. Nonlinearities may stem from the materials, (for
example, hyperelasticity, plastic flows, failure), from contact (for example, high speed collis
and impact) and from the geometric deformation (for example, buckling and collapse). Eve
with time scales of less than 1 second (usually of order 1 millisecond) are efficiently simula
with this type of analysis. For longer time duration events, consider using a Transient
Structural Analysis system.
Back To T
Points to Remember
An explicit dynamics analysis typically includes many different types of nonlinearities includ
large deformations, large strains, plasticity, hyperelasticity, material failure etc.
Contains proprietary and confidential information of ANSYS, Inc.
and its subsidiaries and affiliates

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large deformations, large strains, plasticity, hyperelasticity, material failure etc.
The time step used in an explicit dynamics analysis is constrained to maintain stability and
consistency via the CFL condition, that is, the time increment is proportional to the smallest
element dimension in the model and inversely proportional to the sound speed in the
materials used. Time increments are usually on the order of 1 microsecond and therefore
thousands of time steps (computational cycles) are usually required to obtain the solution.
Explicit dynamics analyses only support the mm, mg, ms solver unit system . This
will be extended to support more unit systems in a future release.
2-D Explicit Dynamics analyses are supported for Plane Strain and Axisymmetric
behaviors.
When attempting to use the Euler capabilities in the Explicit Dynamics analysis syst
the following license restrictions are observed:
Set-up and solve of Euler capabilities in the Explicit Dynamics system are
supported for the full ANSYS AUTODYN (acdi_ad3dfull) license.
Set-up but not solve of Euler capabilities in the Explicit Dynamics system are
supported for the pre-post ANSYS AUTODYN (acdi_prepost) license.
Set-up or solve of Euler capabilities in the Explicit Dynamics system are not
supported for the ANSYS Explicit STR (acdi_explprof) license.
Euler capabilities are not supported for the Explicit Dynamics (LS-DYNA Export)
system.
(Linux only) In order to run a distributed solution on Linux, you must add the
MPI_ROOT environment variable and set it to the location of the MPI software
installation. It should be of the form:
{ANSYS installation}/commonfiles/MPI/Platform/{version}/{platform}
For example: usr/ansys_inc/v140/commonfiles/MPI/Platform/8.1/linx64
Consideration should be given to the number of elements in the model and the qua
of the mesh to give larger resulting time steps and therefore more efficient
simulations.
A coarse mesh can often be used to gain insight into the basic dynamics of a syste
while a finer mesh is required to investigate nonlinear material effects and failure.
The quality of the solution can be monitored by reviewing momentum and energy
conservation graphs in the solution output. Low energy errors (<10% of initial
energy) are indicative of good quality solutions.
Where more accuracy
is required, for example in low velocity impact simulations, th

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energy) are indicative of good quality solutions.

Where more accuracy is required, for example in low velocity impact simulations, th
the double precision option may be used. Real values are stored with 64-bit floating
point precision. This will also result in an increase in memory usage and the size of
restart files. The double precision option is recommended when breakable bonded
connections are used or an implicit pre-stress condition is used as an initial conditio
The Explicit Dynamics (LS-DYNA Export) system allows for an LS-DYNA input file
(otherwise known as a keyword file or a .k file) to be exported. This keyword fi
contains all the necessary information available in the Mechanical application
environment to carry out the analysis with the LS-DYNA solver.
The exported keyword file follows the same format as the one exported by the
respective Mechanical APDL application. All the LS-DYNA keywords are implemente
according to the LS_DYNA Keyword Users Manual version 971.
All the LS-DYNA keywords that can currently be exported are described in detail in
Supported LS-DYNA Keywords. Any parameters that are not shown for a card are n
used and their default values will be assigned for them by the LS-DYNA solver. Som
descriptions of Workbench features that do not relate directly to keywords are give
under General Descriptions located at the end of this appendix.
Since only an input file is generated during solve of an Explicit Dynamics (LS-DYNA
Export) system, the Background and Remote solve options are not supported.
When using Commands objects with the Explicit Dynamics (LS-DYNA Export)
system, be aware of the following:
Keyword cards read from Commands object content (renamed to "Keyword"

snippets for the Explicit Dynamics (LS-DYNA Export) system) should not have a
trailing empty lines if they are not intentional. This is due to the fact that some
keywords have more than one mandatory card that can be entered as blank lin
in which case the default values for the card will be used. Hence trailing blank
can be significant only if required, otherwise they may cause solver execution
errors.
The first entry in the Commands object content must be a command name
which is preceded by the * symbol.
Refer to LS-DYNA General Descriptions regarding ID numbers entered in
Commands object content.


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Commands object content.
An explicit dynamics analysis can contain both rigid and flexible bodies. For rigid/flexible bo
dynamic simulations involving mechanisms and joints you may wish to consider using eithe
the Transient Structural Analysis or Rigid Dynamics Analysis options.
For more information about explicit dynamics analyses, please see AppendixF.
Note: The intent of this document is to provide an overview of an explicit
dynamics analysis. Consult our technical support department to obtain a
more thorough treatment of this topic.
Back To T
Preparing the Analysis

Create Analysis System
Basic general information about this topic
... for this analysis type:
From the Toolbox drag an Explicit Dynamics or an Explicit Dynamics (LSDYNA Export) template to the Project Schematic.
Define Engineering Data
Material properties can be linear elastic or orthotropic. Many different forms of
material nonlinearity can be represented including hyperelasticity, rate and

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Material properties can be linear elastic or orthotropic. Many different forms of

material nonlinearity can be represented including hyperelasticity, rate and
temperature dependant plasticity, pressure dependant plasticity, porosity, material
strength degradation (damage), material fracture/failure/fragmentation. For a
detailed discussion on material models used in Explicit Dynamics, please refer to
AppendixE.
Density must always be specified for materials used in an explicit dynamics
analysis.
Data for a range of materials is available in the Explicit material library.
For Explicit Dynamics (LS-DYNA Export) systems, only the following material
models are supported (also see *MAT_ keywords in Supported LS-DYNA
Keywords). Any models that are not mentioned in this list can be entered through
the "Keyword Snippet" facility (see the LS-DYNA General Descriptions section):
Strength models
Linear Elastic
Isotropic
Orthotropic
Plasticity
Bilinear Isotropic Hardening
Multilinear Isotropic Hardening
Bilinear Kinematic Hardening
Johnson Cook
Hyperelastic:
Mooney-Rivlin
Polynomial
Yeoh
Ogden
Rigid (there is no entry for this in the Engineering Data workspace of
Workbench. See *MAT_RIGID in Supported LS-DYNA Keywords for

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Rigid (there is no entry for this in the Engineering Data workspace of

Workbench. See *MAT_RIGID in Supported LS-DYNA Keywords for
more details).
Equation of state (EOS) models

Linear (there is no entry for this in the Engineering Data workspace of
Workbench. See *EOS_LINEAR_POLYNOMIAL in Supported LS-DYNA
Keywords for more details).
Shock
Failure models
Plastic Strain
Johnson Cook
Note: For line bodies, the LS-DYNA solver only supports the
following three material properties from the above list:
Isotropic Linear Elastic, Bilinear Kinematic Hardening Plasticity
and Rigid bodies. Additional material models that are
supported by the LS-DYNA solver for line bodies can be added
through the "Keyword Snippet" facility.
Attach Geometry
Solid, Surface, and Line bodies can be present in an Explicit Dynamics analysis.
Springs and dampers are not available.
Only symmetric cross sections are supported for line bodies in Explicit Dynamics
analyses, except for the Explicit Dynamics (LS-DYNA Export) systems. The following
cross sections are not supported: T-Sections, L-Sections, Z-Sections, Hat sections,
Channel Sections. For I-Sections, the two flanges must have the same thickness.

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cross sections are not supported: T-Sections, L-Sections, Z-Sections, Hat sections,
Channel Sections. For I-Sections, the two flanges must have the same thickness.
For rectangular tubes, opposite sides of the rectangle must be of the same
thickness. For LS-DYNA Export systems all available cross sections in DesignModeler
will be exported for analysis with the LS-DYNA solver. However there are some
limitations in the number of dimensions that the LS-DYNA solver supports for the
Z, Hat and Channel cross sections. For more information consult the LS-DYNA
Keywords manual.
To prevent the generation of unnecessarily small elements (and long run times) try
using DesignModeler to remove unwanted small features or holes from your
geometry.
Thickness can be specified for selected faces on a surface body by inserting a
thickness object. Constant, tabular, and functional thickness are all supported.
Note that 2-D analysis is not supported for Explicit Dynamics but may be used to
set up 2-D simulations to be transferred to the AUTODYN component system to
perform a solve, if a license is available.
Symmetry is not supported when exporting to the LS-DYNA .k file.
Stiffness Behavior
Flexible behavior can be assigned to any body type.
Rigid behavior can be applied to Solid and Surface bodies.
Coordinate System
Local Cartesian coordinate systems can be assigned to bodies. These will be used
to define the material directions when using the Orthotropic Elasticity property in a
material definition. The material directions 1, 2, 3 will be aligned with the local x, y
and z axes of the local coordinate system.
Note: Cylindrical coordinate systems are not supported for Explicit
Dynamics systems.

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Dynamics systems.
Reference Temperature
This option defines the initial (time=0.0) temperature of the body.
Reference Frame
Available for solid bodies when an Explicit Dynamics system is part of the
solution; the user has the option of setting the Reference Frame to Lagrangian
(default) or Eulerian (Virtual). If Stiffness Behavior is defined as Rigid, Eulerian is
not a valid setting.
Rigid Materials
For bodies defined to have rigid stiffness, only the Density property of the material
associated with the body will be used. For Explicit Dynamics systems all rigid bodies
must be discretized with a Full Mesh. This will be specified by default for the Explicit
meshing physics preference.
The mass and inertia of the rigid body will be derived from the elements and
material density for each body.
By default, a kinematic rigid body is defined and its motion will depend on the
resultant forces and moments applied to it through interaction with other Parts of
the model. Elements filled with rigid materials can interact with other regions via
contact.
Constraints can only be applied to an entire rigid body. For example, a fixed
displacement cannot be applied to one edge of a rigid body, it must be applied to
the whole body.
Note:
Only symmetric cross-sections are supported for line

bodies
Flexible and rigid bodies cannot be combined in Multibody Parts. Bonded connections can be applied to
connect rigid and flexible bodies


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body Parts. Bonded connections can be applied to

connect rigid and flexible bodies
The Thickness Mode and Offset Type fields for
surface bodies are not supported for Explicit Dynamics
systems
Initial over-penetrations of nodes/elements of
different bodies should be avoided or minimized if
sliding contact is to be used. There are several
methods available in Workbench to remove initial
penetration
Define Part Behavior

Nonlinear effects are always accounted for in explicit dynamics analysis.
Parts may be defined as rigid or flexible. In the solver, rigid parts are represented
by a single point that carries the inertial properties together with a discretized
exterior surface that represents the geometry. Rigid bodies should be meshed
using similar Method mesh controls as those used for flexible bodies. The inertial
properties used in the solver will be derived from the discretized representation of
the body and the material density and hence may differ slightly from the values
presented in the properties of the body in the Mechanical application GUI.
At least one flexible body must be specified when using the ANSYS AUTODYN
solver. The solver requires this in order to calculate the time-step increments. In
the absence of a flexible body, the time-step becomes underdefined. The boundary
conditions allowed for the rigid bodies with explicit dynamics are:
Connections
Contact Regions: Frictionless, Frictional and Bonded.
BodyContains
Interactions:
Frictionless, Frictional and Bonded. Bonded body
proprietary and confidential information of ANSYS, Inc.

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Contact Regions: Frictionless, Frictional and Bonded.

Body Interactions: Frictionless, Frictional and Bonded. Bonded body
interactions are not supported for LS-DYNA Export.
For ANSYS AUTODYN, rigid bodies may not be bonded to other rigid
bodies.
Initial Conditions: Velocity, Angular Velocity

Supports: Displacement, Fixed Support and Velocity.
Loads: Pressure and Force. Force is not supported for ANSYS AUTODYN.
For an Explicit Dynamics analysis, the following postprocessing features are
available for rigid bodies:
Results and Probes: Deformation only - that is, Displacement, Velocity.
Result Trackers: Body average data only.
If a multibody part consists only of rigid bodies, all of which share the same
material assignment, the part will act as a single rigid body, even if the individual
bodies are not physically connected.
Define Connections
Line body to line body contact is possible if:
Contact Detection should be set to Proximity Based in the Body
Interactions Details view.
Edge on Edge is set to Yes in the Body Interactions Details view.
The Interaction Type is defined as Frictional or Frictionless
bonded interactions and connections are not supported for line bodies.
LS-DYNA Export systems export the *CONTACT_AUTOMATIC_GENERAL
and *CONTACT_AUTOMATIC_SINGLE_SURFACE keywords when a friction
or frictionless
Body Interaction is scoped to geometry that contains line

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and *CONTACT_AUTOMATIC_SINGLE_SURFACE keywords when a friction

or frictionless Body Interaction is scoped to geometry that contains line
bodies. The keywords handle contacts between line bodies only, and line
bodies to other body types respectively. In the case where the Body
Interaction is scoped to only line bodies, then only the
*CONTACT_AUTOMATIC_GENERAL keyword is exported.
Reinforcement body interaction should be supported in the case when only line
bodies are scoped to a Body Interaction of Type = Reinforcement. The line
bodies will then be tied to any solid body that they intersect. Reinforcement body
interactions are not supported for LS-DYNA Export systems or for 2D Explicit
Dynamics analyses. However utilizing Keyword Snippets under Contact Region
objects should provide a suitable alternative.
Body Interactions, Contact and Spot Welds are all valid in explicit dynamics
analyses. Frictional, Frictionless and Bonded body interactions and contact options
are available. Conditionally bonded contact can be simulated using the breakable
property of each bonded region. Spot Welds can also be made to fail using the
breakable property.
Joints, Springs and Beam connections are not supported for explicit dynamics
analyses. The Contact Tool is also not applicable to explicit dynamics analyses.
By default, a Body Interaction object will be automatically inserted in the
Mechanical application tree and will be scoped to all bodies in the model. This
object activates frictionless contact behavior between all bodies that come into
proximity during the analysis.
For Explicit Dynamics (LS-DYNA Export) systems, bonded body interactions are not
supported. Also, Contact Region objects with Auto Asymmetric Behavior or
just Asymmetric Behavior are treated the same. Symmetric Behavior will
create a _SURFACE_TO_SURFACE keyword for the contact and an Asymmetric
Behavior will create a _NODES_TO_SURFACE keyword.
For Explicit Dynamics (LS-DYNA Export) systems, contacts between line bodies and
solids can be implemented using the Keyword Snippets facility available under the

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For Explicit Dynamics (LS-DYNA Export) systems, contacts between line bodies and
solids can be implemented using the Keyword Snippets facility available under the
Manual Contact Region objects.
Bonded contact is not supported in an explicit dynamics analysis for bodies that
have their Reference Frame set to Eulerian (Virtual). A solver warning is shown to
let the user know that such bodies will be ignored for bonds. Bonded contact is not
support in a 2D explicit dynamics analysis.
Setting Up Symmetry
There are general considerations when using Symmetry for an Explicit Dynamics
Analysis.
There are additional considerations if an Euler Domain is defined for an analysis.
For symmetry to be applied to an Euler Domain, symmetry will have to be defined
with the global coordinate system, not a local one, and it will need to be applied on
geometry faces which lie on the global coordinate system planes.
If the symmetry is not defined with the global coordinate system, it is
ignored and a warning is shown in the messages window saying that such
symmetry will be ignored but the analysis continues to solve.
If the symmetry is not applied on faces which lie on the global coordinate
system planes then an error is shown and the solution is terminated.
In the case where symmetry is valid for use with Euler Domains, if the boundary of
the Euler Domain which is parallel to the symmetry plane is bellow the symmetry
plane, then that boundary will be moved to lie on the symmetry plane if the
following conditions are true:
the Euler Domain Size Definition option in the Analysis settings is set to
Program Controlled.

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the Euler Domain Size Definition option in the Analysis settings is set to
Program Controlled.
the Euler body is on the positive side of the global coordinate axis.
Define Remote Points

When using Remote Points in explicit dynamics analyses:
Remote points only work with the Explicit Dynamics system, not the
Explicit Dynamics (LS-DYNA Export) system.
The Behavior field must be set to Rigid. If it is set to Deformable the
solution will terminate and an error will be generated.
Currently, only the Remote Displacement boundary condition is supported
for Remote Points in explicit dynamics analyses.
Commands are not supported for Remote Points in explicit dynamics
analyses.
Remote Points are not supported for 2D Explicit Dynamics analyses.
It is possible to over-constrain bodies by having an incorrect mix of boundary
conditions (loads and supports) and remote points applied. Remote points
effectively make a face act as rigid, and it is important to remember that remote
points are defined per model and therefore may conflict when shared with another
analysis type with different constraint requirements. Remote displacements are
boundary conditions but are applied to remote points, and for the purpose of this
document are not considered as constraining boundary conditions.
Constraining boundary conditions
(Restricted Use)
Fixed Support
Velocity
Simply Supported
Fixed Rotation
Displacement


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Fixed Rotation
Displacement
Gravity
Hydrostatic Pressure
Detonation Point
Examples of permitted boundary

conditions (Unrestricted Use)
Pressure
Acceleration
Force
Symmetry Planes
Euler Boundary Flow Out
Line Pressure
Remote point applied boundary conditions Remote Displacement (treated

as a Velocity)
The following rules apply when applying constraints and Remote Points to Flexible
and Rigid Bodies in an Explicit Dynamics analysis. If incompatible conditions are
applied, the pre-solve checks will identify the problem and inform the user prior to
starting the Solve.
FLEXIBLE BODY
Example
Conditions
Remote
Point applied
to one face.

Allowed? +
Notes
Yes

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to one face.
Remote
Point and
Remote
Displacement
applied to
one face.
Yes
Remote
Point applied
to two
adjacent
faces.
No
The 2 faces
share
common
nodes along
one edge.


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one edge.
Remote
Point applied
to two faces
that do not
share any
nodes.
Yes
Remote
Point applied
to two faces
that do not
share any
nodes, with
Remote
Displacement
applied to
one of the
Remote
Points.
Yes


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Points.
Remote
Point on one
face with
Remote
Displacement
applied.
Constraining
boundary
condition
applied to
adjacent face.
No
The
boundary
condition
scope shares
nodes with
the scope of
the Remote
Displacement.
Remote
Point on one
face.
Constraining
boundary
condition
applied to
adjacent face.
No
The
boundary
condition
scope shares
nodes with
the scope of
the Remote
Point.
Remote
Point on one
face.
Constraining
boundary
condition on
another but
with no
Yes


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another but
with no
common
scoped
nodes.
Remote
Point on one
face with
Remote
Displacement
applied.
Constraining
boundary
condition on
another but
with no
common
scoped
nodes.
Yes
RIGID BODY
Example
Conditions
Allowed?
+ Notes
Remote
Point applied
to one face.
Yes
This is
largely
superfluous
as the body
is rigid
already so
making the
face rigid
does not


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face rigid
does not
make any
difference.
Remote
Point and
Remote
Displacement
applied to
one face.
Yes
Remote
Point applied
to two
adjacent
faces.
Yes
Remote
Point applied
to two faces
that do not
share any
Yes
This is
largely
superfluous
as the body


Page: 20
that do not
share any
nodes.
superfluous
as the body
is rigid
already so
making the
face rigid
does not
make any
difference.
Remote
Point applied
to two faces
that do not
share any
nodes, with
Remote
Displacement
applied to
one of the
Remote
Points.
Yes
Remote
Point on one
face.
Constraining
boundary
condition on
body.
Yes


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body.
Remote
Point on one
face with
Remote
Displacement
applied.
Constraining
boundary
condition on
body.
No
Two
constraining
boundary
conditions
on a Rigid
body are
not allowed.
Apply Mesh Controls/Preview Mesh

All mesh methods available in the Workbench meshing application can be utilized in
Explicit Dynamics systems.
Swept Volume Meshing
Patch Dependant Volume Meshing
Hex Dominant Meshing
Patch Independent Tetrahedral Meshing
Multizone Volume Meshing
Patch dependant
shell meshing

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Multizone Volume Meshing

Patch dependant shell meshing
Patch independent shell meshing
A smooth uniform mesh should be sought in the regions of interest for the
analysis. Elsewhere, coarsening of the mesh may help to reduce the overall size of
the problem to be solved. Use the Explicit meshing preference (set by default) to
auto-assign the default mesh controls that will provide a mesh well suited for
Explicit Dynamics analyses. This preference automatically sets the Rigid Body
Behavior mesh control to Full Mesh. The Full Mesh setting is only applicable to
Explicit Dynamics analyses. Other physics preferences can be used if better
consistency is desired between implicit and explicit models.
Swept/multi-zone meshes are preferred in Explicit Dynamics analyses so geometry
slicing, combined with multibody part options in DesignModeler are recommended
to facilitate hexahedral meshing. Alternatively use the patch independent
tetrahedral meshing method to obtain more uniform element sizing and take
advantage of automatic defeaturing.
Define the element size manually to produce more uniform element size
distributions especially on surface bodies.
Midside nodes should be dropped from the mesh for all elements types (solids,
surface and line bodies). Error/warning messages are provided if unsupported
(higher order) elements are present in the mesh.
Pyramid elements are not supported in Explicit Dynamics analyses. Any elements of
this type are converted into two tetrahedral elements, and will warrant a warning in
the message window of the Mechanical application.
For Explicit Dynamics (LS-DYNA Export) systems, only the element types listed
below are supported (partly due to LS-DYNA limitations). Any parts with a mesh
containing unsupported elements will be excluded from the exported mesh. A
warning is displayed specifying excluded parts.
Shells

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Shells
1st Order: triangles, quadrilaterals

2nd Order: none
Solids
1st Order: tetrahedrons, pyramids, wedges, hexahedrons, beams
2nd Order: tetrahedrons
Note: Pyramids are not recommended for LS-DYNA, a warning is
issued if such elements are present in the mesh.
When performing an implicit static structural or transient structural analysis to an
Explicit Dynamics analysis, the same mesh is required for both the implicit and
explicit analysis and only low order elements are allowed. If high order elements
are used, the solve will be blocked and an error message will be issued.
Establish Analysis Settings
The basic analysis settings for explicit dynamics analyses are:
Step Controls - The required input for step control is the termination
time for the analysis. This should be set to your best estimate of the
solution time required to simulate the event being modeled. You should
normally allow the solver to determine its own time step size based on the
smallest CFL condition in the model. The efficiency of the solution can be
increased with the help of mass scaling options. Use this feature with
caution. Too much mass scaling can give rise to non-physical results.
An explicit dynamics solution may be started, interrupted and resumed at
any point in time. For example, an existing solution that has reached its
End Time may be extended to continue to review the progression of the

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any point in time. For example, an existing solution that has reached its
End Time may be extended to continue to review the progression of the
mechanical phenomena simulated. The Resume From Cycle option
allows you to select which Restart file you would like the Solve to resume
the analysis from. See Resume Capability for Explicit Dynamics Analyses
for more information. Explicit dynamics analyses are always solved in a
single analysis step.
Step Control options
Resume from cycle (option not available in LS-DYNA)
Maximum Number of Cycles in ANSYS AUTODYN is replaced by
Maximum time steps in LS-DYNA
Reference energy cycle (option not available in LS-DYNA)
The Maximum Element Scaling and Update frequency (options
not available in LS-DYNA)
Solver Controls These advanced controls allow you to control a range
of solver features including element formulations and solution velocity
limits. The defaults are applicable to wide range of applications.
Shell thickness update, shell inertia update, density update, minimum
velocity, maximum velocity and radius cutoff options can only be set in
ANSYS AUTODYN.
Full shell integration and a selectable Unit System are available only in
the LS-DYNA Export system.
Euler Domain Controls There are three sets of parameters that are
necessary to define the Euler Domain: the size of the whole domain
(Domain Size Definition), the number of computational cells in the
domain (Domain Resolution Definition), and the type of boundary
conditions to be applied to the edges of the domain.
Note: Euler capabilities are not supported for the Explicit
Dynamics (LS-DYNA Export) system.
The domain size can be defined automatically (Domain Size Definition =
Program Controlled) or manually (Domain Size Definition = Manual).
For both the automatic and manual options, the size is defined from a 3D
origin point and the X, Y, and Z dimensions of the domain.

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For both the automatic and manual options, the size is defined from a 3D
origin point and the X, Y, and Z dimensions of the domain.
For the automatic option, specify the Scope of the Domain Size Definition
so that the origin and X, Y, and Z dimensions are set to create a box large
enough to include all bodies in the geometry (Scope = All Bodies) or the
Eulerian Bodies only (Scope = Eulerian Bodies Only). The automatically
determined domain size can be controlled with three scaling parameters,
one for each direction (X Scale Factor, Y Scale Factor, Z Scale
Factor).
The size of the domain is affected by the scale factors according to the
following equations:
where
lx, ly, lz are the lengths of the unscaled domain in the x, y, and z directions
respectively. These parameters are obtained automatically from the mesh.
l'x, l'y, l'z are the lengths of the scaled domain in the x, y, and z directions
respectively.
Fx, Fy, Fz are the scale factors for the x, y, and z directions respectively.
For the Manual option of the Domain Size Definition, specify the origin of
the Euler Domain (Minimum X Coordinate, Minimum Y Coordinate
Minimum Z Coordinate) and the dimension in each direction (X
Dimension, Y Dimension, Z Dimension).
The domain resolution specifies how many cells should be created in the X,
Y, and Z directions of the domain. Use the Domain Resolution
Definition field to specify how to determine the resolution: either the cell
size (Cell Size), the number of cells in each of the X, Y, and Z directions
(Cells per Component), or the total number of cells to be created
(Total Cells).
For the Cell Size option, specify the size of the cell in the Cell Size
parameter. The value specified is the dimension of the cell in each of

Page: 26
For the Cell Size option, specify the size of the cell in the Cell Size
parameter. The value specified is the dimension of the cell in each of
the X, Y, and Z directions. The units used for the cell size follow the
ones specified in the Mechanical application window and are displayed
in the text box.
The number of the cells in each direction of the domain are then
determined from this cell size and the size of the domain with the
following equations:
where
Nx, Ny, Nz are the number of cells in the X, Y, and Z directions
respectively.
D is the dimension of the cell in each direction (this is the same in all
directions).
For the Cells per Component option, enter the number of cells required
in each of the X, Y, and Z directions (Number of Cells in X,
Number of Cells in Y, Number of Cells in Z).
For the Total Cells option, specify Total Cells (the default is
250,000). The size of the cells will depend on the size of the Euler
Domain.
The size of the cell is calculated from the following equation:
where
Ntot is the total number of cells in the domain.

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If any bodies are defined as Eulerian (Virtual), when Analysis Settings is

selected in the outline view, the Euler domain bounding box is displayed in
the graphics window. The Euler domain resolution is indicated by black
node markers along each edge line of the Euler domain. The visibility of
this can be controlled by the Display Euler Domain option in the
Analysis Settings.
You can set boundary conditions on each of the faces of the Euler Domain.
The faces are labeled Lower X Face, Lower Y Face, Lower Z Face
(which correspond to the faces with the minimum X, Y, and Z coordinates)
and Upper X Face, Upper Y Face, and Upper Z Face (which
correspond to the faces with the maximum X, Y, and Z coordinates). The
values of the boundary conditions that can be set for each face are:
Flow Out
Use the Flow Out boundary condition to flow out material through
cell faces. The boundary condition makes the material state of the
dummy cell outside the Euler domain the same as that of the cell
adjacent to the Flow Out boundary, thus setting the gradients of
velocity and stress to zero over the boundary. This approach simulates
a far field solution at the boundary, but is only exact for outflow
velocities higher than the speed of sound and is an approximation for
lower velocities. Therefore, the Flow Out boundary condition is
approximate in many cases, and should be placed as far as possible
from region of interest and best at a location where the gradients are
small.
Impedance
Use the Impedance boundary condition to transmit waves through
cell faces without reflection. The boundary condition predicts the
pressure P in the dummy cell outside the Euler domain from the
impedance, particle velocity, and the pressure of the cell adjacent to
the Impedance boundary. Only the perpendicular component of the
wave is transmitted without reflection. Therefore, the Impedance
boundary condition is only approximate, and should be placed as far
as possible from region of interest.
Rigid

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as possible from region of interest.

Rigid
Use the Rigid boundary condition to prevent flow of material through
cell faces. The cell faces are closed for material transport and act as
rigid non-slip walls. The Rigid boundary condition takes the material
state of the dummy cell outside the Euler domain as a mirrored image
of the cell adjacent to the Wall boundary, thus setting the normal
material velocity at the rigid wall to zero and leaving the tangential
velocity unaffected.
Euler Tracking is currently only By Body, which scopes the results to

Eulerian bodies in the same manner as Lagrangian bodies.
Damping Controls Damping is used to control oscillations behind
shock waves and reduce hourglass modes in reduced integration elements.
These options allow you to adapt the levels of damping, and formulation
used for the analysis being conducted. Elastic oscillations in the solution
can also be automatically damped to provide a quasi-static solution after a
dynamic event.
For Hourglass Damping, only one of either the Viscous Coefficient or
Stiffness Coefficient, is used for the Flanagan Belytschko option when running an explicit dynamics analysis using the LS-DYNA solver, LSDYNA does not allow for two coefficients to be entered in
*CONTROL_HOURGLASS. Thus the non-zero coefficient determines the
damping format to be either Flanagan-Belytschko viscous or FlanaganBelytschko stiffness, accordingly. if both are non-zero, the Stiffness
Coefficient will be used
Linear viscosity in expansion options should be available only for
ANSYS AUTODYN.
Hourglass damping in LS-DYNA is standard by default; in ANSYS
AUTODYN the same control is AUTODYN Standard.
Erosion Controls Erosion is used to automatically remove highly
distorted elements from an analysis and is required for applications such as
cutting and impact penetration. In an explicit dynamics analysis, erosion is
a numerical tool to help maintain large time steps, and thus obtain

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cutting and impact penetration. In an explicit dynamics analysis, erosion is

a numerical tool to help maintain large time steps, and thus obtain
solutions in appropriate time scales. Several options are available to initiate
erosion. The default settings will erode elements which experience
geometric strains in excess of 100%. The default value should be increased
when modeling hyperelastic materials. Geometric strain limit and material
failure criteria are not present in LS-DYNA.
Output Controls Solution output is provided in several ways:
Results files which are used to provide nodal and element data for
contour and probe results such as deformation, velocity, stress and
strain. Note that probe results will provide a filtered time history of the
result data due to the relatively infrequent saving of results files.
Restart files should be stored less frequently than results files and can
be used to resume an analysis.
Tracker data is usually stored much more frequently than results or
restart data and thus is used to produce full transient data for specific
quantities.
Output controls to save result tracker and solution output are not
available for LS-DYNA.
When performing an implicit to explicit analysis, for a nonlinear implicit
analysis, the Strain Details view property must be set to Yes because
plastic strains are needed for the correct results.
Define Initial Conditions

You can define translational or angular velocity to a single body or to
multiple bodies. In an explicit dynamics analysis, by default, all bodies are
assumed to be at rest with no external constraint or load applied. It is not
a requirement to apply these types of initial conditions to a body.
An explicit dynamics solve can be performed if the model contains at least

Page: 30
a requirement to apply these types of initial conditions to a body.

An explicit dynamics solve can be performed if the model contains at least
one Initial Condition (translational or angular velocity), or a non-zero
constraint (displacement or velocity), or a valid load.
Because an explicit dynamics analysis is better suited for short duration
events, preceding it with an implicit analysis may produce a more efficient
simulation especially for cases in which a generally slower (or rateindependent) phenomenon is followed by a much faster event, such as the
collision of a pressurized container. To produce this combination, you can
define pre-stress as an initial condition in an Explicit Dynamics system,
specifying the transfer of either displacements only or the more complete
Material State (displacements, velocities, stresses and strains), from a static
or transient structural analysis to an explicit dynamics analysis.
Characteristics of the implicit to explicit pre-stress feature:
Applicable to 3-D analyses only.
The Material State mode, for mapping stresses, plastic strains,
displacements, and velocities is valid for solid models only.
The displacements only mode is valid for solid, shell, and beam
models.
The same mesh is required for both implicit and explicit analyses and
only low order elements are allowed. If high order elements are used,
the solve will be blocked and an error message will be issued.
For a nonlinear implicit analysis, the Strain Details view property in
Output Controls under the Analysis Settings object must be set
to Yes because plastic strains are needed for the correct results.
See Recommended Guidelines When Using Pre-Stress With Explicit
Dynamics for more information.
Apply Loads and Supports


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You can apply the following loads and supports in an explicit dynamics
analysis:
Acceleration
Standard Earth Gravity
Pressure
Hydrostatic Pressure
Force
Line Pressure
Fixed Face
Fixed Edge
Fixed Vertex
Displacements
Displacements
Displacements
Detonation Point
Velocity
Impedance Boundary
Simply Supported Edge
Simply Supported Vertex
Fixed Rotation
Remote Displacement
Cylindrical coordinate systems are supported to define a single rotational
displacement or velocity constraint on a rigid or flexible body. These
coordinate systems are fixed, that is, they do not move with the body.
For Explicit Dynamics analyses, the y component (that is, direction) of a
velocity constraint defined with a cylindrical coordinate system has units of
angular velocity.
For Explicit Dynamics analyses, the y component (that is, direction) of a
displacement constraint defined with a cylindrical coordinate system has
units of rotation.
Step or time varying tabular loads can be applied in an explicit dynamics
analysis. However, explicit dynamics does not support tabular data to
specify the magnitude or components of Accelerations or Line Pressures.

Page: 32
analysis. However, explicit dynamics does not support tabular data to

specify the magnitude or components of Accelerations or Line Pressures.
For Explicit Dynamics analyses, functionally defined loads are supported for
Pressure and Velocity but only when defined as varying in time. See
Applying Boundary Conditions.
For Explicit Dynamics (LS-DYNA) analyses, functionally defined loads are
not supported.
Loads must be applied in a single step.
Loads and supports are not valid when applied to bodies having a
Reference Frame of Eulerian (Virtual).
Detonation Points are only available for 3D Explicit Dynamics analyses, not
for Explicit Dynamics (LS-DYNA Export) or 2D Explicit Dynamics analyses.
For Explicit Dynamics analyses, if multiple constraints (for example,
displacements) are applied to a node then they must use the same
coordinate system. This restriction is especially applicable at nodes on a
shared topology such as an edge, where two adjacent faces, each with
different constraints, may come together. These constraints must use the
same coordinate system in their specification.
In the LS-DYNA solver, a Velocity or Displacement boundary condition
(implemented with the *BOUNDARY_PRESCRIBED_MOTION keyword) will
override a Fixed Support or a Simple Support or a Fixed Rotation
boundary condition (implemented with the *BOUNDARY_SPC keyword).
Hence if a body has a Velocity constraint and a Fixed Support applied to it,
the whole body will move in the direction of the applied velocity.
The default unconstrained body is valid. It is not a requirement to
constrain any DOF of a body In Explicit Dynamics systems.
An Explicit Dynamics solve can be performed if the model contains at least
one Initial Condition (Translational or Rotational velocity) or a non-zero
constraint (displacement or velocity) or a valid load.
The Remote Displacement boundary condition only works with the Explicit
Dynamics system for 3D analyses, not the Explicit Dynamics (LS-DYNA
Export) system or 2D Explicit Dynamics analyses.
A Remote Displacement boundary condition must have the Behavior field
set to Rigid for an Explicit Dynamics analysis. An error will be reported if it
is set to Deformable. If the Remote Displacement object is scoped to a
Remote Point that has its Behavior set to Rigid, the Remote Displacement

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is set to Deformable. If the Remote Displacement object is scoped to a

Remote Point that has its Behavior set to Rigid, the Remote Displacement
Behavior will automatically be set to Rigid also.
Solve
Solution output
The Solution Information object provides a summary of the
solution time increments and progress is continuously updated in the
solution output. For distributed analyses, the parallel load balancing is
also displayed. This is calculated for each slave as the CPU time taken
on the slave divided by the average CPU time taken on all the slaves.
For a perfectly balanced solution, all slaves will have a load balancing of
one.
Histograms of time step, energy and momentum are also available for
real time monitoring of solution progress.
Note: In Explicit Dynamics analyses, Trajectory Contact
Detection is not supported for a distributed solve.
If you would like to use Trajectory Contact
Detection for a distributed solve, please contact
ANSYS Technical Support.
Choose Tools> Solve Process Settings to solve in the background
either locally or remotely. Retrieve results while the analysis is running
to get immediate feedback on progress and accuracy of the solution.
Note: If you choose the My Computer, Background
setting, it is necessary that you also click the
Advanced... button and check Use Shared
License, if possible, to obtain a successful
solution.

Page: 34
License, if possible, to obtain a successful

solution.
Result Tracker
Full transient time history data can be viewed after the insertion of
Result Tracker objects. Body averaged data such as momentum and
energy can be selected for display. Data at a specific location (position,
velocity, stress etc.) can also be displayed.
The frequency at which Result Tracker information is provided is
defined in the Save Result Tracker Data On option of the analysis
settings.
Solve an Explicit Dynamics (LS-DYNA Export) system to produce the LSDYNA keyword file. This can be used to directly solve with the LS-DYNA
solver, outside of the Workbench environment.
Review Results
The following structural result types are available as results of an explicit
dynamic analysis:
Deformation
Stress and Strain
Energy (Transient Structural and Rigid Dynamics Analyses)
Stress Tools
Structural Probes - Limited to: Deformation, Strain, Stress,
Position, Velocity, Acceleration.
Once a solution is available you can display contour results or animate
them to review the response of the structure through time.

Page: 35
Note: For an explicit dynamics analysis, there is no results

interpolation between the results sets. Specifying a
time in the GUI will display results for the closest
results set.
Eroded nodes can be toggled on or off in the graphics display.
Probes can be used to display the variation in specific results over the
saved time points in the analysis. The frequency at which data is available
is defined in the Save Results On option of the analysis settings. This
data should be specified prior to a solve.
You can use a Solution Information object to track, monitor, or
diagnose problems that arise during a solution.
Additional results specific to an explicit dynamics analysis are available via
User Defined Results for Explicit Dynamics Analyses.
The Explicit Dynamics (LS-DYNA Export) system does not support the
ability to review the results of a simulation using the LS-DYNA solver.
Nevertheless results can be viewed with the lsprepost.exe application
available at the ANSYS installation folder under ANSYS
Inc\v140\ansys\bin\.
Release 14.0 - 2011 SAS IP, Inc. All rights reserved.


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Mechanical Application User's Guide