Workshop 6

Beam and Shell Modeling

14. 5 Release

Introduction to ANSYS
DesignModeler
2012 ANSYS, Inc.

November 20, 2012

Release 14.5

Beam and Shell Modeling

Goals:

2012 ANSYS, Inc.

Import external geometry containing line bodies

Create a line body from 3D Curve
Use symmetry tool to add components
Choose a beam cross section to be used and assign it to the
line body
Create a surface model representing the panel
Ensuring the conformal mesh between multiple bodies using
multibody part

November 20, 2012

Release 14.5

Launching Design Modeler

First start Workbench
Go to Project Page Component Systems Geometry
1. Double click on Geometry Tab
2. Click Right Mouse Button (RMB) on Geometry template then
click on New Geometry

2012 ANSYS, Inc.

November 20, 2012

Release 14.5

Unit Selection
DM starts with a prompt to select desired length unit. Select Foot and click OK.

2012 ANSYS, Inc.

November 20, 2012

Release 14.5

Importing External Geometry File

Import external geometry file

[Main Menu] File Import External

Geometry File
1. Select The file role-cage.igs from the
Input Files folder.

2. Set Operation type as Add Frozen

3. As the igs file contains line bodies
Set Process Line Bodies as Yes
4. Click Generate or press F5 to import
geometry

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2012 ANSYS, Inc.

November 20, 2012

Release 14.5

Creating Line Bodies Using 3D Curves

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The imported role_cage.igs file

contains a partial model. We will add
remaining bodies by using 3d Curve
feature.
Create 3d curve [Main Menu] Concept
3D Curve
1. Set Definition From Coordinate
File.
2. Browse and select the coordinate
file role_cage_coordinates.txt
3. Set Operation as Add Frozen
4. Click Generate to create curve
You will find that two curves
as highlighted in image are
added to the model

2012 ANSYS, Inc.

November 20, 2012

Release 14.5

Creating Beam Model (1)

To create full model we will use Mirror. The
model is symmetric across the ZXPlane. To
create remaining half of the model, we will
copy existing line bodies.

Create Mirror
1

[Main Menu] Create Body Operation

1. Select Type Mirror
2. Select 16 line bodies as
highlighted(yellow colour) in
Image1(use CTRL key for multiple
selection).
3. Select global ZXPlane as mirror plane.
4. Click Generate to create mirror of
selected edges.

2012 ANSYS, Inc.

November 20, 2012

Image1

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Creating Beam Model (2)

Add line bodies, connecting mirrored line
bodies and imported line bodies.

[Main Menu] Concept Line From Points

1. Right Click in graphics area to
access advanced option for
selecting points

Select Point Pairs option.

2. Select 5 pairs of points by sequence
as marked in Image1
3. Set Operation Type as Add Frozen
4. Generate to create line bodies

This will create a beam model

of Role-Cage.

Image1
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2012 ANSYS, Inc.

November 20, 2012

Release 14.5

Uniting Line Bodies (1)

Unite line bodies
There are many line bodies in model.
For simplification we will unite them
according to the cross sections, that
we will be specifying them in later
stage.
[Main Menu] Create Boolean
1. Select multiple edges as shown
highlighted in Image1(yellow
colour, hold Ctrl key for
multiple selection)
2. Click Apply to confirm
selection.
3. Click Generate to create
boolean.

2012 ANSYS, Inc.

November 20, 2012

Image1

Release 14.5

Uniting Line Bodies (2)

Similarly merge rest of the line bodies
as shown highlighted in Image1.
After unite operation we can
see only two line bodies in
Tree Outline

2012 ANSYS, Inc.

November 20, 2012

Image1

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Creating Surface Bodies (1)

Create Surface from Edges

Image1

[Main Menu] Concept Surfaces from Edges

1. Select 12 line bodies as marked in
Image1(hold Ctrl key for multiple
selection)
2. Click Apply to confirm selection
3. Specify thickness for the surface
body as 0.01ft
4. Generate to create surfaces

We can use only one operation

to create multiple surfaces.

We just need to take care that

all the lines selected form only
closed loops from which face
can be created.

2012 ANSYS, Inc.

November 20, 2012

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Creating Surface Bodies (2)

Similarly create surfaces using rest of the
line bodies.
Specify the thickness for all surfaces as
0.01ft
Finally we will have 5 surface bodies in
model see Tree outline

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November 20, 2012

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Adding Cross Sections

Add cross sections
[Main Menu] Concept Cross
Section Circular Tube
Add two cross sections
1.

CircularTube1 Specify inner

and outer radius as 0.025 ft
and 0.03 ft respectively as
shown in Image1

2.

CircularTube2 Specify inner

and outer radius as 0.022 ft
and 0.025 ft respectively as
shown in Image2

2012 ANSYS, Inc.

November 20, 2012

Image1

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Image2

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Assigning Cross Sections (1)

After adding two cross sections
we need to assign those to
the line bodies in model
1. Select line body from list
of entities
2. Go to details of the
selected body and select
cross section from
available dropdown list
of cross sections
3. Assign CircularTube1
cross section to line
bodies as shown in
Image1 and for
CircularTube2 refer
Image2.

2012 ANSYS, Inc.

November 20, 2012

Image1

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Assigning Cross Sections (2)

Image2

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November 20, 2012

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Displaying Cross Section Solids

After assigning cross sections to the line
bodies, the default display shows the
line body with its cross section
alignment . We can also display the
beam with the cross section displayed
as a solid.
[Main Menu] View Cross Sections
Solids

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November 20, 2012

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Multibody Part (1)

The final modeling operation is
to place all the bodies into a
single part (multi-body part).

We must do this to insure that,

when model will be meshed,
each boundary recognizes its
neighbor resulting in a
continuous mesh.
1. Set the Selection Filter to
Bodies.
2. In the graphics window
click right mouse button
and choose Select All
3. With all bodies selected,
again right click in the
graphics window and
choose Form New Part.

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Multibody Part (2)

Notice the Tree Outline it shows a single part which contains 7 bodies.

Before Creating
Multibody part

After Creating
Multibody part
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Mesh of Multibody Part

Shown here we have moved to a MECHANICAL environment in Workbench and meshed the
geometry.
By grouping all bodies into a common (single) part, nodal connectivity is insured.

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November 20, 2012

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Saving the Project

This completes the workshop
From the main menu select File Close DesignModeler
Workbench will save any application data

From the Workbench Project Page use the file menu and save
the project as DMWS6.wbpj to your working folder

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Appendix I Coordinate File for 3D Curve

A coordinate file must be a simple text file in the following format:
After a pound sign (#), everything else on that line is considered a comment and is
ignored.
Empty lines are ignored.
Data consists of five fields, all on one line, separated by spaces and/or tabs:
Group number (integer)
Point number (integer)
X coordinate
Y coordinate
Z coordinate
A data line with the same Group number and Sequence number as a previous data
line is an error. A data line cannot contain the same Group number and Sequence
number as a previous data line.
For a closed curve, the point number of the last line should be 0. In this case, the
coordinate fields are ignored.

2012 ANSYS, Inc.

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Appendix I Coordinate File for 3D curve

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Appendix II
Managing External Files

The Workbench project file structure

Example Project
Directory Containing
User Files

provides a directory named

user_files which may be used to
store CAD, or any other files you wish
to associate with the project.

If you have used imported geometry

in your Workbench project and
subsequently intend to transfer the
project to another computer you can
move or place a copy of the required
files in the user_files folder.

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Appendix II
Managing External Files (Continued)

When the project is reopened

Workbench will prompt you to locate
the file.
From the View Menu, select Files.
Right click on the relevant file in
the list and select Repair
filename.xxx.
Browse to the file in the user_files
folder.
The new path will be saved with
the project.

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