Tutorial - 2D Truss analysis in Mechanical APDL (ANSYS) Part 2?

Sudhir Gill

9 Mar, 2012 07:23 AM

In general, a finite element solution may be broken into the following three stages.
1. Preprocessing: defining the problem;
- Define keypoints/lines/areas/volumes
- Define element type and material/geometric properties
- Mesh lines/areas/volumes as required
2. Solution: assigning loads, constraints and solving;
3. Postprocessing:
- Lists of nodal displacements
- Element forces and moments
- Deflection plots
- Stress contour diagrams

In this tutorial we will go through second and third step.

1. Step 1:

   This is the second part of tutorials in Which we solve the problem. Under Solution >> Analaysis Type >> New analysis. Select static and click OK.
   

   

2. Step 2:

   Under Define Loads >> Apply >> Structural >> Displacement >> On keypoints. We will now define the fixed keypoints or supports.
   

   

3. Step 3:

   Select the two lower corner keypoints and click OK.
   

   

4. Step 4:

   Select All DOF and click OK.
   

   

5. Step 5:

   Goto Define loads >> Apply >> Structural >> Force/Moment >> On Keypoints.
   

   

6. Step 6:

   Select the upper keypoints and click OK.
   

   

7. Step 7:

   Direction of force be FY and input Force value = -10000 since the force will be acting downward.
   

   

8. Step 8:

   Now we have the model prepared for solution. Under Solve >> Current Load step.
   

   

9. Step 9:

   Click OK.
   

   

10. Step 10:

    A message Solution is done! will show when the process is completed. Click Close.
    

    

11. Step 11:

    Now the third part of this process. Post-Processing is to be done. Goto General PostProc >> List Results >> Reaction Solu.
    

    

12. Step 12:

    Select all items and click OK.
    

    

13. Step 13:

    Now we have the value of reaction about the node 1 and 5 which are fixed. Click Close.
    

    

14. Step 14:

    Goto Plot Results >> Deformed shape.
    

    

15. Step 15:

    Select Def + undeformed. Click OK
    

    

16. Step 16:

    Now we have the deformation plot.
    

    

17. Step 17:

    Goto Plot results >> Contour plot >> Nodal Solu.
    

    

18. Step 18:

    Under Stress select von Mises stress and click OK.
    

    

19. Step 19:

    We have von Mises stress plot.