CAE Project Assignment

Part 2: ANSYS Instructions

Outline

Based heavily on the ANSYS outline by Michael Paisner


Introduction

Part 2 of the CAE project is to do a Finite Element Analysis of your wrench using Ansys. You must have completed Part 1 of the CAE project and exported the wrench before you can begin on this second part of the project!

[Return to Outline]


ANSYS Instruction Conventions

The following conventions are used in the Ansys Instructions:

CAPITALS Menu Headings
Bold Menu Choices
Italics Enter text or a carriage return
Underlined Mouse button to be clicked in the ANSYS GRAPHICS window

Examples:

UTILITY MENU -> File

ANSYS INPUT -> aplot <CR>

When entering text, you must move the cursor over the window where the text is to be entered.

[Return to Outline]


I. Start ANSYS

You must have completed Part 1 of the CAE project and exported the wrench before you can begin on this second part of the project!

Using the same computer account which was used to draw the wrench, log in at any of the HP computers in the Mechanical Engineering cluster (except for hpme12) and open up ANSYS by going to the Xterm window and typing:

/data/ansys52/bin/xansys52 <CR>.

The XANSYS52 menu window will appear. Pick a location for this menu by clicking once with the left mouse button. Choose:

XANSYS52 -> Interactive

INTERACTIVE ->

INTERACTIVE -> Run

The ANSYS_5.2_OUTPUT window will appear. Type a <CR> when you are prompted to in this window. The ANSYS program will now begin.

Note: The UTILITY MENU is located at the top of the screen. The MAIN MENU is located on the left side of the screen. Text should be entered in the ANSYS INPUT window at the top left corner of the screen unless noted otherwise.

[Return to Outline]


II. Import the Part

UTILITY MENU -> File

[Return to Outline]


III. Mesh the Part

Meshing the part means it breaks the part into smaller pieces so that the program can analyze the stresses within the part. Breaking the part into many, small pieces (a fine mesh) will give more accurate results, but will use up more time and memory. Using fewer, larger pieces (a rough mesh) will run more quickly and use less memory, but will give less accurate results.

MAIN MENU -> Preprocessor

Figure 3

[Return to Outline]


IV. Apply Boundary Conditions

This section tells the program what boundary conditions exist for the movement of the wrench.

Figure 4

Figure 5

[Return to Outline]


V. Apply Loads

This section tells the program what loads are being applied to the part.

Figure 6

Figure 7

[Return to Outline]


VI. Print Image

UTILITY MENU -> PlotCtrls

[Return to Outline]


VII. Solve

ANSYS INPUT -> /solu <CR>

ANSYS INPUT -> solve <CR>

MAIN MENU -> General Postproc

Figure 8

[Return to Outline]


VIII. Print Image

UTILITY MENU -> PlotCtrls

[Return to Outline]


IX. Graph Stresses for a Cross Section of the Wrench

MAIN MENU -> General Postproc

Figure 9

Figure 10

[Return to Outline]


X. Print Image

UTILITY MENU -> PlotCtrls

Return to Outline]


XI. Exit the Program

UTILITY MENU -> File

[Return to Outline]