Getting started with Nastran and Patran

Patran is the pre and post processor while Nastran is the solver. Problem statement: Cantilever beam with 10 inches length , 2 inches width and 0.375 inches thickness Material specification: Youngs modulus: 30 x 107 pounds/inch2 Poissons ration: 0.3 Loading: Axial compressive load of 1000 pounds at the free end , applied at the centre point.

1. Introduction and launching PATRAN

i. PATRAN is a pre and post processing package for the Finite element program NASTRAN. In addition it has the capability of Finite element analysis. We will discuss on how to set up the data for a NASTRAN analysis using PATRAN. It explains how a NASTRAN job can be submitted and after the successful completion of the job how to use the post processing facilities. As usual, log into Hammer using SSH client with your Penn State user id and password. Create a Subdirectory in your home directory and change to that directory Type the command patran to launch PATRAN. You will see a similar window.

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Refresh graphics

Undo Heartbeat

Reset graphic Interrupt

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At the top of the main form are the pull-down menus, the on-line help, system icon buttons and the heartbeat. Below that are the application radio buttons, the toolbar icons, the history window area, the text command line. The MSC/PATRAN status indicator is displayed between the interrupt and undo icons. This is the heartbeat. (i). Green means ready and waiting. (ii) Blue means busy, but can be interrupted and (iii) Red means busy but not interruptible. Place the cursor on File and click the left mouse button. Choose from the menu the option New. Click on the box marked `New Database Name' and type Axial. This is the name chosen for the current example. Note that .db is automatically appended to the name. This denotes .database.. An empty view port should appear with a black background. The axes will be displayed. The cross hair

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symbol represents the origin. The name of the database is displayed at the top of the view port. Click on the box marked `Model Dimension' and change the 10 to 20.

2. Creating a model
i. ii. Click on the Show labels icon from the Tool bar. This will display the point, curve numbers as they are created later. Click on the Geometry radio button. This will open the geometry form and display it on the right hand side of the screen. Only one of the forms can be open at any given time. Clicking on the label of the form which is currently open closes it. If you click on the label of another form the currently selected form is closed and the new form is opened. Select Action > Create, Object > Point, Method > XYZ. Enter [0 0 0] to create the first point (left bottom corner of the beam). Notice that Point ID List increments. Now, enter [0 2 0], [10,0,0] and [10 2 0] to create four points Change Object > Curve, Method > Point, Option > 2 Point. Select two left side points to create 1 line and then the right end points to create the second line Change Object > Surface, Method > Curve, Options > 2 Curve. Select two lines. You will notice that an area is created which looks like a beam.

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Note: During above activities, incase you want to Delete any entities, change Action > Delete and then select appropriate entity. vi. Checking the Surface Normal: At this stage it is important to check that the created geometry will give a valid Finite element mesh. This is done by checking the direction of the normal to the surface i.e the surface's C3 parametric direction. Using the right hand rule, the C3 direction is determined by crossing the surface's C1 direction with the C2 direction. Here the right hand rule is used. The positive surface normal should be in the same direction as the positive Z axis. If not the created Finite elements will not be accepted by the analysis module. a. To check this change `Action' from `Create' to `Edit'. Change the `Object' to `Surface' and the `Method' to `Reverse. Check the square button marked `Auto Execute' to make sure it is unset. Click on the box marked `Surface List' and click on the Surface label 1. b. Then Click on the box marked `Draw Normal Vectors'. c. Now using the middle mouse button tilt the geometry (Hold down the middle mouse button and move the mouse until you can see the direction of the normal vector clearly). The vector starts at the centre of the surface and is directed normal to it. d. If the normal vector is in the same direction as the positive Z axis then the current geometry will create a valid Finite element mesh. e. If the normal vector is in the same direction as the positive Z axis then DO NOT click on Apply. f. If not then you can use the Apply button to reverse it. This can be used selectively on individual surfaces. g. Save your model.

3. Meshing, Loading and Properties

i. ii. Click on the Elements label which will close the Loads/BC form and open the Finite Elements form. Create Mesh Seeds: Mesh seeds tell PATRAN how the mesh is to be generated. The mesh is to be created with 4 elements along the shorter sides and 10 elements along the longer sides. Select Action > Create, Object > Mesh seed, Type > Uniform. Change the number to 4 and select left and right edges. The mesh seeds showing how the sides will be divided should appear in the lines. Repeat the same with longer sides. Change Action/Object/method to Create/Mesh/Surface. Click on the `Quad 4' setting for `Topology' and look through the available element types. For the present example choose the Quad8 elements. This is the 8-noded quadrilateral element. Select the Surface and they click Apply. Boundary conditions: Click on the Loads/BCs button which will close the Elements form and open the Loads/BCs form. Select Action > Create, Object > Displacement, Type> Nodal. Click on the box marked `New Set Name' and type Fixed. This is the set name given to the Fixity boundary condition about to be specified. Each load and boundary conditions has to be given a set name. The user is free to choose a meaningful name for the set. This needs two subforms to be filled. In the first of these you specify the type of fixity. The second subform is for selecting the region to which the boundary condition is applied. To execute the command you need to click on the Apply button in the original form. Now click on the box marked `Input Data...' This will open a new form. Click on the box under the heading `Translations' and enter 3 zeroes separated by spaces between the angled brackets < 0 0 0>. This is to indicate zero displacements in the 3 directions leave the rest of the data in the default setting. Click on the OK button. Then in the original form click on the `Select Application Region'. This is to specify which part of the boundary is to be fixed. Notice that FEM which is selected. Now choose the `curve' icon (3rd icon) from the select menu next to the form. This selection filters the picking. In this case only lines will be selected. Surfaces and points will be ignored when you cursor pick entities. Once you select the left end nodes, click Add (The label should appear in the box marked `Application Region'.) and then click Apply Axial Loading: change Action > Create, Object > Force, Type> Nodal. Follow the similar procedure as followed when you applied fixity condition. Define a set, enter the value of -1000 and then select the appropriate node. Material: Click of Material icon. Action > Create, Object > Isotropic, Method > Manual Input. Enter the material name as Steel. Enter the properties (Youngs modulus = 30e6 and Poissons ration = 0.3). Click OK. Click on the Properties to assign the previously specified material properties to the geometry and to specify the thickness of the beam. Change the `Type' to `Shell'. Type `beam' in the Property Set Name box. Change `Plane Strain' to `Homogeneous' under Options. Click on the `Standard formulation to look at the other options. But leave it unchanged for the present. Click on the `Input Properties' label. In the new form click on the `Material Name' box and select `steel' from the Material Property Sets. This should display `m:steel' in the box marked `Material Name'. Enter a value of 0.375 in the thickness box. Click on the OK button. In the original form click on the `Select Members' box. Then choose the `surface or face' icon from the select menu (this is the first icon).Select the

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surface. Now click on the `Add' button and the surface number will now be displayed in the `Application Region box. Finally click on the `Apply' button. Save your model.

4. Analysis and Results

i. Pick the item 'Analysis' from the Application Radio Button. A new window named 'Analysis' is opened. Choose the following contents for the first three items in this window: Action> Analyze Object> Entire Model Method> Full Run. Do not change the default contents of the other items. Pick the item 'Translation Parameters' from the 'Analysis' window. A new window named 'Translation Parameters' is opened. Choose for the item 'Data Output': OP2 and Print, click O.K and Apply. Watch the command window to show that, translation was successful. At this point, a .bdf file (with the name of the file given by you) is created by PATRAN which can be submitted to NASTRAN (which is the solver). Go back to your directory (in SSH Client). Type nastran <filename> scr=yes (include .bdf with the filename). Wait for the message. Check Error messages if any. If the analysis is completed successfully, check for .op2,.f04 and .f06 files in your working directory. We view the results using PATRAN. Select Analysis icon. Change Actions > Access results, Object > Read Output2, Type > Result Entities. Select the available job and then select the result file (<filename.op2>). Click Apply. Click on Results. Select Action > Create, Object > Quick plot. Select a default Subcase from the list shown. Select the type of result you want to view. Say, you select Stress tensor. Select the Quantity, i.e. von Mises, X component etc. Then click Apply. You will see a somewhat similar to this. (this is for X component of Stress)

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Selecting Displacement in Y direction will give you following plot

You can select different fringe for every result you need. You have the option of selecting the Deformation contour you want. If you need any special results other than the default results, you should do define your own Subcase before you create .bdf file. This is done using Create Subcases option in Analysis form. While you define Subcase, you will see the option of selecting output requests from a pool of options. When you load the result, you can select this Subcase for viewing results you wanted. After you collect as many data you want, close the file and Quit from MSC/PATRAN.
Prepared by: Vikas Argod vikasargod@psu.edu 224G Computer Building Research Computing and Cyberinfrastructure Pennsylvania State University, University Park PA 16802 Please contact beatnic@aset.psu.edu if you have any comments/suggestions to this report.