StructuralLoads CreatingGravityLoadsLecture CreatingGravityLoads.

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Creating Gravity Loads

The Gravity Load simulates the force of gravity on objects.
Required Components:

Coordinate System Acceleration Vector o Components o Direction Points and Magnitude o Direction Vector and Magnitude

Gravity Load LectureNotes Gravity Loads Gravity is the all encompassing force that affects all structures and components. While most engineering parts can carry their own weight, there are several applications where the model has to carry a specific weight. From a practical perspective, Mechanica simulates the effect of gravity by applying acceleration to the entire model. The mass of the individual elements will create a force in the direction of the acceleration specified. This load can be used to simulate any situation where a part is being subjected to a constant acceleration value. Gravity Load Definition The following must be specified in order to create a Gravity Load:

Coordinate System: Specify the coordinate system the load is being applied with respect to. Components: Specify the components of the gravitational acceleration with respect to the referenced coordinate system. Gravity loads are applied in the units of acceleration for the models system of units. Gravitational acceleration would be entered as 9.81 m/s2, 32.2 ft/s2, or 386.4 in/s2 when using standard Mechanica unit systems. Gravitational acceleration is expressed in terms of units of length per unit of time squared, not in terms of g because g is not a unit in Mechanica. The Gravity load can be used to simulate models exposed to accelerative loads (such as components on a missle). The load the model experiences is always a function of the acceleration value entered and the density of the model. The total resultant force will be reported in the summary file.

Best Practices

CreatingGravityLoadsDemonstration CreatingGravityLoads_demo.mp4 CreatingGravityLoadsProcedure

Procedure: Creating Gravity Loads

Scenario
Create a 1G Earth Based Gravitational Load. GravityLoads shelf.prt

Task 1. Open the Mechanica Application and create a Gravity Load.

1. Click Applications > Mechanica. 2. Click Gravity Load from the Mechanica toolbar.

3. Type -9.81 for the Y component in the Acceleration field. Verify that the units file is set to m / sec^2 as shown.

4. Click OK to create the Gravity Load and close the dialog box. The model should appear as shown below.

Task 2. Save the model and erase it from memory.

1. Return to the Standard Pro/ENGINEER mode by clicking Applications > Standard. 2. Click Save from the main toolbar and click OK to save the model. 3. Click File > Erase > Current > Yes to erase the model from memory. This completes the procedure.