3DS.COM Dassault Systmes | Confidential Information | 11/10/15 | ref.

: 3DS_Document_2012

Simulation Night School 2014

Glenn Whyte + Damon Tordini
Simulation Specialists

Simulation Night School Agenda

Overview/SimulationXpress
The Analysis Process
Results and Result Interpretation
Intermission
Common Problems/Troubleshooting
SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation

Computer Specs
HP EliteBook 8570w Laptop
Windows 7 Professional x64 Edition
Intel i7 3630QM (2.6 GHz)
4 computing cores
8 GB RAM
nVidia Quadro K1000M (2GB)
SOLIDWORKS 2014 SP4.0 x64
SSD Hard Drive

Overview of Simulation tools for everyone

Linear Static Stress Analysis

Simulation Xpress

Linear Static Stress Analysis

Key Assumptions:
Loads applied slowly, no inertia, no time-dependence etc.
Dynamic analysis overcomes this assumption
Linear material behavior
Small deformations constant stiffness matrix
Nonlinear Analysis overcomes this assumption

Matching Real-Life Results: Study Type

Linear
Static

Dynamic

Nonlinear

Stress/Strain Curves

SOLIDWORKS SimulationXpress
Limitations:

Linear static stress analysis on single-body parts.

Uniformly distributed force or pressure loading
Fixed-face restraints
Global control of mesh density
Result plots of Von Mises stress, displacement, and FOS
Single-factor optimization

SOLIDWORKS Analysis Products

SOLIDWORKS Simulation Premium

Nonlinear

Harmonic

Time History

Random
Vibration

(static & dynamic)

Flow

Simulation

SOLIDWORKS Simulation Professional

Static

Frequency
& Buckling

Thermal

Drop Test

Electronic
Cooling Module

HVAC Module

Plastics
Motion
Simulation

Fatigue

Optimization

Pressure
Vessel

Sustainability
Composites

Response
Spectra
Professional
Premium
Advanced

Building the FEA Model

10

Analysis Process and Considerations

Material
Definition
Contact
Connectors
Fixtures
Loads
Meshing
Solving
Results/Post
Processing

11

Materials Definition
Start your mathematical
problem with a strong base.
Common area of mistakes in
FEA problems
The source for SOLIDWORKS
material properties is Metals
Handbook Desk Edition (2nd
Edition), ASM International.

12

Custom Materials
The default SOLIDWORKS material database cannot be
modified. This is by design.
When creating a custom material, it is recommended to copy
an existing (similar) material, and modify.

13

SOLIDWORKS Material Library

Elastic
Modulus

Required for Linear

Static

Poissons
Ratio

Yield
Strength

Density

14

Meshing
Automatic Mesh Type Selection

15

Sheetmetal/Surfaces

Weldments

Everything Else

Shell Mesh

Beam

Solid Mesh

Solid Elements
Basic shape is a tetrahedron
High Quality (default) Solid Elements will have 10
nodes: 4 corner nodes and 6 mid-side nodes. Edges
of HQ elements can better map curvilinear shapes.
Draft Quality Solid Elements have 4 corner nodes
and linear edges.
For both cases, each node has three degrees of
freedom, all translational.
Draft

16

High

Nodes

10

DOF per
node

12

30

Total DOF

Nodes

Shell Elements

Used for thin geometry

Basic shape is a triangle

High quality (default) Shell elements have 6 nodes: 3 corner
and 3 mid-side with 6 DOF per node (including rotational
freedom). Can better map to curvilinear shapes.
Draft quality Shell elements have 3 nodes (corners only), with
6 DOF per node. They remain linear through deformation.
Draft

High

Nodes

DOF per node

18

36

Total DOF
17

Element Quality
Draft quality mesh will create an
analysis with the same fundamental
mesh structure, but less nodes/DOFs
Stress results will likely not be
accurate enough for final results
However, draft mesh is an excellent
tool for model preparation or
troubleshooting

18

Why Use Shell Elements?

Any model could be meshed with Solid Elements. However, to
get an adequate mesh for thin objects, the number of elements
can become unmanageable. More DOF = Longer Solve Time!

Degrees of Freedom

350000
300000
250000
200000
150000
100000
50000
0

2500
1500
3500

Von Mises Stress

19

Beam Elements
Used for slender objects with a constant cross-sectional
shape
As of SOLIDWORKS 2011, tapered beams also supported
Basic shape is a line element with two end points (nodes)
Each node has 6 degrees of freedom; 3 translations and 3
rotations.
Nodes 2
DOF per node 6
Total DOF 12

20

Nodes

Invalid for Beam Elements

Beam elements support tapered
beams, but cross-section can only
shrink or grow proportionally
For other invalid beams, see the
help file article titled: Invalid
Tapered Beams

21

Contact

No
Penetration

Virtual
Wall

22

Bonded

Shrink Fit

Contact/Gap Hierarchy

23

Global Contact
Bonded- Selected components or bodies behave as if they
were welded during simulation (no relative translation or
rotation).
Allow Penetration Selected components or bodies may
pass through each other.
No Penetration-Selected components or bodies do not
penetrate each other during simulation. Surface to surface
contact formulation is applied by default.

24

Global Contact Limitations

Global contact will only be applied to
faces/entities that are coincident at the
start of the analysis.
(2014 allows some non-touching faces
in global contact, but have had limited
success with this function)
Mixed mesh types: global bonded
contact does not always automatically
create connections
Solution: Local Contact Sets!

25

Contact Tools and Tips

Interference detection Treat coincidence as interference
does a great job of showing where parts are initially touching
Contact Visualization Plot New in SW2014, allows you to
visualize what contact has been created, and what type.
Solver-based contact visualization will show contact
relationships between mesh elements.

26

Bolts
Standard or Counterbore
with Nut
Countersink with Nut
Standard or Counterbore
Screw
Countersink Screw
Foundation Bolt

27

Fixtures
Used to represent how the given model is
attached to the rest of the world
Fixed on a Surface, Edge or Point
Free Sliding or Rotation

Helpful for reducing the size of the problem

to a component level or subassembly level
Ensures the problem is in static equilibrium
Remove DOF in the model
28

Degrees of Freedom
Objects in 3-D space have 6 degrees of freedom (DOF)
In Cartesian coordinates, there are:
Three translational (x,y,z)
Three rotational (about x, about y, about z)
In SOLIDWORKS Simulation, the conditions of the
problem (fixtures, contact, mesh) determine how many
total DOF exist
More DOF means a more complex problem,
requiring more computer resources

29

Fixture Types
Standard
Fixed Geometry
Roller/Slider
Fixed Hinge

30

Advanced

Symmetry
Circular Symmetry
Use Reference Geometry
On Flat Faces
On Cylindrical Faces
On Spherical Faces
Bearing

Fixtures Preview
Rotation

31

Translation

No Fixtures Preview?

32

Loads
Standard

33

Force
Torque
Pressure
Gravity
Centrifugal
Bearing Load
Temperature

Imported
Flow Effects
Thermal
Effects

Other
Remote Load
Remote Mass
Distributed
Mass

Force vs. Pressure

Both are external loads intended to represent other components or
environmental conditions acting upon your design.
Force

Pressure

Defined in units of force (lbf, N)

Defined in units of force per area (psi, N/m 2)

Can be applied to faces, edges and

vertices

Can only be applied to faces

Can be applied normal to face or in

specified direction

Can be applied normal to face or in specified

direction

Components can be defined in all 3

vectors (local x,y,z)

Can only be defined in one vector

By default, Force values are distributed across the selected

geometry, while Pressure values are constant over the selected
geometry
34

Force vs. Pressure.

Forces and Pressures can both represent the same load depending
on how you define them!

100 lbf / 1 in2 = 100 psi

100 psi * 1 in2 = 100 lbf

35

Remote Mass vs. Distributed Mass

Two differences:
1. Remote mass adds stiffness to the model
as the component being replaced by the
remote mass is considered to be attached
by rigid bars.
2. The remote mass can have a non-uniform
distribution whereas the distributed mass
is always uniformly applied.

Please note: "Treat as remote mass" only considers

massso be sure to define gravity!

36

Mesh Creation Tools

Two mesh creation schemes Standard and Curvature-Based
Generally, Curvature-Based will create more elements, but better adapt to
complex geometry
Curvature-based mesher takes greater advantage of multi-core CPUs
Standard

Curvature

Elements

109 258

70 752

Time to Mesh

33 seconds

9 seconds

Percentage of distorted
elements

0.215 %

0.543 %

Mesh Control needed

133 faces

0 faces

Mesh controls allow you to specify a smaller mesh resolution

for specific vertices, edges, faces, bodies or components
37

Challenge Question: Mesh Options

Which mesh options will give the most accurate result?
Which will be the quickest to solve?
Max Von Mises (psi)
Standard Mesher
Curvature-Based
Mesher
Standard Mesher
with Mesh Control
True Result

38

Time to
(s)

Challenge Question: Mesh Options

Which mesh options will give the most accurate result?
Which will be the quickest to solve?
Max Von Mises (psi)

39

Time (s)

Standard Mesher

2,354

Curvature-Based
Mesher

2,557

14

Standard Mesher
with Mesh Control

2,688

True Result

3,241

Solving
FFEPlus Uses an iterative approach to solve the equations
Direct Sparse Directly solves the system of equations
Direct Sparse
More efficient with No
Penetration Contact

Similar to direct
sparse with less
memory load

Uses more RAM for larger

problems, around 10x
more than FFEPlus

Efficient for large

problems, with good
multi-core capability

Better equipped to utilize

multiple cores
Better with significant
differences in materials

40

Large Problem DS

FFEPlus
More efficient with
large problems, ie.
>250k DOFs

Results and Result Interpretation

Result Quantities Available

Result Viewing Options
Failure Theories

41

Result Quantities Available

Stress
Stress in X, Y, Z
Shear stress about X, Y, Z
Principal Stresses - 1, 2, 3
Von Mises
Stress Intensity (P1-P3)
Energy Norm Error
Contact Pressure
Displacement
Displacement in X, Y, Z, and resultant
Reaction Forces
Strain
Strain in X, Y, Z, resultant
Shear Strain about X, Y, Z
Principal Strains
Strain Energy Density
42

Result Plots Available

Contour Plots
Section Clipping
Iso-Clipping
Probe
List Results
Reaction Forces/Free body forces
Options, Settings and Definitions
Now streamlined in 2014!

43

Failure Theories
Factor of safety plots can be viewed to show how the stresses
related to different failure theories compare to failure limits.
For ductile metals (and also other situations)
Von Mises
Tresca (maximum shear stress)
Von Mises is more commonly used, Tresca is more
conservative
For brittle materials Mohr Coulomb Stress theory/internal
friction
44

Coming Soon to HawkWare Tools

Simulation Results Manager!
Archive completed study results to
save disk space
Clean up results directories for easier
sharing

Visit store.hawkridgesys.com for more

information

45

Common Problems/Troubleshooting

Results Convergence
Matching Real-Life Results

46

Mesh Convergence Practices

In stress analysis the quality of the result is directly dependent on the
quality of the mesh.
No stress result should be accepted as correct until youve proved that
the mesh is adequate.
This is done by proving that the stress results are converged

47

What is Convergence?
All FEA analysis is based on the concept of
discretization- breaking a model into individual pieces
that can be calculated (meshing).
This inherently adds error to results- convergence is
the process of reducing mesh error

48

Checking Strategies
Methods:

49

1.

Manual Inspection
a) Run a Study > Refine Mesh > Review
Results (stress)
b) Utilize Trend Tracker

2.

Design Study
a) Create a parameter linked to mesh
control or Global mesh size
b) Manually specify sizes or use
Optimization

3.

Adaptive Meshing

Checking Convergence Manual Inspection

1.
2.
3.
4.

50

Run an analysis
Increase mesh density (either globally or locally)
Review key results
Repeat until key results dont change within an acceptable
tolerance

Checking Convergence Adaptive Meshing

The h-Method
The concept of the h-method is to use smaller elements.
After running the study and estimating errors, the software
automatically reduces the element size in appropriate
areas.
The p-Method
The concept of the p-method is to add more nodes and
increasing the order of the element in regions with high
errors. After running analysis and estimating errors, the
program increases the order of elements in regions where
necessary.

51

Adaptive Finite Element Analysis

h-Adaptivity, p-Adaptivity
Refining the mesh (h-Adaptivity)

Changing the order of elements (pAdaptivity)

1st order
(Draft Quality)

2nd order
(High Quality)

5th order

Concentrations & Singularities

Stress concentrations are areas of high stress
Stress singularities are a type of concentration that displays
unrealistically high stress values due to mathematical phenomena
(displacements are not affected)
Singularities generally occur in sharp corners

53

No Singularity

Singularities

No sharp geometrical discontinuity and

no concentrated load/fixture

Sharp geometrical discontinuity or

concentrated load/fixture

Will converge when mesh is refined

Will not converge with refinement

Converged stress value can be trusted

Stress values cannot be trusted

Hawk Ridge Systems Knowledge Base

For more details on recommended
procedures and the mathematics behind
convergence, check out our guide at:

support.hawkridgesys.com/forums

54

Matching Real-Life Results

What are the SOLIDWORKS Simulation results
being compared to?
-Hand calculations?
-Experimental results?
-Other software?

55

Hand Calculation Example

Stress/Strain calculation used to evaluate deformation of tank wall
under pressure

Formula predicts 0.485in, SOLIDWORKS predicts 0.501in for a single

plate.
However, once you add the other 3 walls, displacement is 0.19in
The 3d case is closer to fixed support than simple support.

56

Matching Real-Life Results: Conditions

Are you comparing to physical tests,
or real-world usage?
Do you have a document that
explains the experiment setup?
What materials are being used? Do
the mechanical properties of your
material match that which is found in
the SOLIDWORKS material
database?
How realistic are your
restraints/fixtures?
57

Matching Real-Life Results: Loads

Are you running the correct study? A static load
of value x may cause an object to react much
different than an impact load of value x.
Are there other factors that you are omitting in
your analysis?
Gravity
Friction
Damping
58

Matching Real-Life Results: Study Type

Linear

59

Nonlinear

Static

SOLIDWORKS Premium

Simulation Premium

Dynamic

Simulation Premium

Simulation Premium

Where is error introduced?

5%

10%

65%

20%

<1%
61

How to have confidence in results?

Validation examples
NAFEMS is an independent, not-for-profit organization
that sets and maintains standards in computeraided engineering analysis and, specifically, finite
element analysis (FEA).

62

Matching Real-Life Results

Remember: when using FEA, the end goal should not
always be to duplicate real world results.
Garbage in, garbage out
Significant value can come when using it to get relative
results (Trend studies, design decisions).

63

SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation

What is Flow Simulation?

Embedded CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) analysis

tool inside SOLIDWORKS

Evaluate designs for optimum flow rates, temperatures,

aerodynamics, and more

64

Piping Systems
Electronics Cooling
Heat Exchangers
Transportation

Flow Simulation Procedure

Geometry Prep
Wizard
Boundary
Conditions
Materials/Heat
Sources/etc.
Goals
Solving
Results/Post
Processing

65

Flow Simulation: Geometry Prep

Simplify Geometry- not mandatory, but

usually smart
Internal or External analysis?
Check Solid/Fluid Volume
Use Leak Tracker

66

Flow Simulation: Boundary Conditions

Important mainly for internal analyses
Establish where fluid enters or leaves the
model
Flow Openings: known inlet or outlet
condition
Pressure openings: ?
Applied to lids
Always select inside face(s)

67

Flow Simulation: Materials/Heat Sources/Etc.

Important mainly for simulations with Heat
Conduction in Solids enabled.
Many optional conditions: Two Resistor
Components*, Perforated Plates, Printed
Circuit Boards*
Typical properties to enter:
Thermal Conductivity, W/m2-K
Heat Power, W
No. of PCB layers
Note: materials in Flow Simulation are
different than in SOLIDWORKS Material
library!
*Requires Electronics Cooling Add-on
68

CircuitWorks and Flow Simulation

New for 2014: Import the following ECAD properties from
CircuitWorks to Flow Simulation:

69

Heat Sources
Conductivity
Dielectric and Conductor Density
Specific Heat
Printed Circuit Board properties with the Electronic Cooling Module

Flow Simulation: Goals & Solving

Goals allow easy checking of key results

both during and after the simulation
Verify what youre trying to measure:
average vs. bulk average
Ensure a certain level of accuracy in the
solver- convergence
Solver can be run on local machine, or
on network- will use all available CPU
cores

70

Flow Simulation: Results

Both numerical and visual results are available to evaluate
design
Typical workflow:
1. Check if requirements are met via Goals, surface
parameters, etc.
1. Max CPU Temp? Pressure Drop?
2.

71

Use Cut Plots, Surface Plots, Flow Trajectories to see

why, and how design should be modified.

Hawk Ridge Online Training

8 current Simulation course offerings via GoToMeeting
Visit www.hawkridgesys.com/training for more information

72

Simulation Services
One-On-One Mentoring
As an extension to our classroom training,
Mentoring provides customized training on
applying SOLIDWORKS Simulation tools to your
specific engineering problem.

Analysis Consulting
Leverage the engineering and analysis expertise, experience and resources of our team to execute your analysis.

HRS Simulation Services Credit

25% of your simulation services fees can be applied to new SOLIDWORKS Simulation software license purchases.

Contact
Your Hawk Ridge Systems contact or Jared Conway, Simulation Services Manager (jared@hawkridgesys.com,
650-230-7006).

73

3DS.COM Dassault Systmes | Confidential Information | 11/10/15 | ref.: 3DS_Document_2012

Thank you for attending!

Hawk Ridge Systems
Support

Your Name

Your Title

email:
support@hawkridgesys.com
web: support.hawkridgesys.com
New & Existing Recorded Webinars:
http://www.hawkridgesys.com/events/recordedwebinars/

877.266.4469 US
866.587.6803 CAN

74