Struct. Analysis in Assemblies Tutorial

[mdristy]

Arethere any web based tutorials or examples of using Mechanica (in Integrated Mode) to perform structural analysis on assemblies with several components in them?


I have four small plates of various sizebeing pressed together under heavy load, and I want to see the stresses and deflections that result in all of the components at the same time, if possible.


Thanks.

 

[headrush]

I am not aware of any online tutorials. If you have FEA experience Mechanica is deceptively simple and youcan likely figure it out with some trial and error. The only major defect I have found in Mechanica islimited mesh control.


I'm not sure if you are describing a press fit or simple contact. If the parts are assembled so surfaces are in perfect contact (no gap, no overlap) mechanica will bond them with a matching mesh. Or you can specify a pair of srufaces to be unbonded (free). I think WF4.0 can model friction between two surfaces. Loads and contraints are very easy to apply.


So as long as your dimensions and assembly constraints result in perfectly mated surfaces, Mechanica automatically glues them all together and for the purposes of analysisthey become a single component. There is some tolerance value for a gap (or overlap) between surfaces where Mechanica no longer bonds the surfaces and I can't remember what it is.

 

[mdristy]

Thanks. What if I don't want Mechanica to "bond" the mating components together, but want them treated and analyzed as the individual components that they are. How to I specifiy that to Mechanica?

 

[ghgarzon]

In that case, Mechanica is not the best choice, I'll suggest to use Workbench from Ansys, it has more choices for surfaces in contact but not bonded.

 

[kbrault]

Insert / Connection / Contact I believe.