Cantilever Beam Example

Preprocessing: Defining the Problem

The problem that is modelled is a classic cantilever beam: fixed at one end and a vertical load applied to the other end.

The beam has the following dimensions and properties

length depth width load E = = = = = 2m 10cm 5cm 10,000N 200 GPa (steel)

Note that it is the responsibility of the user to ensure that a consistent set of units are used for the problem; thus making any conversions where necessary! Begin by giving the example a title. In the 'Utility menu bar' select the 'File' menu and the 'Change Title' submenu. Select 'OK' when done. The problem that we are going to solve will be defined by a number of variables. These may be entered by on of two approaches. 1. The quickest way is to enter them in the ANSYS Input window. Move your mouse to the lower half of the window and then left click. Then type in each of the following lines. Each one is completed by hitting Enter or Return. All lengths are given in mm.
2. 3. 4. 5. 6. length=2000 depth=100 width=50 xsect=depth*width inertiaz=(width*depth**3)/12

Notice that by using variables like this, it is very easy to set up a parametric description of your model.

7. Alternatively, these variables my be entered in the 'Utility menu bar'/ 'Paramaters'/'Scalar Parameters...' menu. This brings up a dialog box in which these parameters can be entered. Note that you must click on 'Accept' to save your changes before you click on 'Close'. The overall geometry is defined in ANSYS using keypoints which simply specify various principal coordinates to outline the body. For this beam example, these keypoints will be the two ends of the beam!

Start the Prep7 preprocessor by selecting 'Preprocessor' in the 'ANSYS Main Menu'. From the 'Preprocessor' menu, select 'Create' (under the '-Modeling-' title). Then select 'Keypoints' from this 'Create' menu. Select 'In Active CS...' on the 'Keypoints' menu. This permits you to define keypoints in the active Coordinate System. In the window that appears, enter keypoint number '1' in the appropriate box, and enter the x,y,z coordinates: 0,0,0 in their appropriate boxes. Click 'Apply' to accept what you have typed. Enter the second keypoint by typing '2' and length,0,0 in the their appropriate boxes. Click on 'OK' to indicate that you are finished entering keypoints.

You can now list the entered keypoints to make sure you have done this step correctly, by selecting 'Utility menu bar'/'List'/'Keypoints'. There are two options here; selecting either one will give you the coordinates of the keypoints you have entered (these are 0,0 and 2000,0 since length=2000). To plot these keypoints in the graphics window, there are two methods: 1. Enter the following two commands 'ANSYS input window'
2. 3. /pnum,kp,1 kplot

The first of these commands turns the keypoint numbering on (assuming that it's not already on and the second command plots the keypoints. 4. In the 'Utility menu bar', select 'PlotCtrls' menu, then 'Numbering...' Click on the button beside 'Keypoint numbers' so that it changes colour, and says 'On' beside it. Click on 'OK' and the box will close and the keypoints will be plotted with their numbers. (for this example, the first one may be hidden in the triad symbol at 0,0,0.) To replot at any time, select 'Utility menu bar'/'Plot'/'replot'. You must now connect the two keypoints together to form a line:

First close the last menu that were used to create the keypoints by double clicking in the upper left-hand corner of the menu. This will return you to the 'Create menu'. Select the 'Lines' item (under '-Lines-') in this menu. Select 'Straight Line'.

Use the mouse to pick the two keypoints in the graphics window. They will be marked by a small yellow box when picked. Click on 'OK' in the 'Create Straight Line' window when you have picked the two keypoints. Now close the 'Lines' and 'Create' menus as earlier described.

It is now necessary to create some elements nn this line. This is called 'Meshing'. ANSYS first needs to know what kind of elements to use for our problem:

Select 'Element Type' in the 'Preprocessor' menu. Select 'Add/Edit/Delete...' Click on the 'Add...' button in the 'Element Types' window. Select 'Beam', '2D elastic' and click on 'OK'. You should see 'Type 1 BEAM3' in the 'Element Types' window. Click on 'Options...' In the 'BEAM3 element type options' window, click on the top button (K6), and select 'Include Output'. Click on 'OK'. Click on 'Close' in the 'Element Types' window. Close the 'Element Type' menu.

You need to specify geometric properties for your elements:

Select 'Real Constants...' in the 'Preprocessor' menu. Click on 'Add...' Select 'Type 1 BEAM3' and click on 'OK'. In the 'Real Constants for BEAM3' window, enter the following geometric properties (using parameters that were entered at the beginning of our example):
AREA: xsect IZZ: inertiaz HEIGHT: depth

Click on 'OK' Click on 'Close' in the 'Real Constants' window.

You then need to specify material properties:

Select 'Material Props' in the 'Preprocessor' menu. Select 'Isotropic...' under '-Constant-' Click 'OK' in the 'Isotropic Material Properties' window to select material number 1. In the window that appears, there are many properties that may be specified. The ones of concern are:
EX: 200000 NUXY: 0.3

Set these properties and click on 'OK'. Close the 'Material Props' menu.

The last step before meshing is to tell ANSYS how big the elements should be. Let's make the element length 20cm to begin with:

Select 'Shape & Size' under '-Meshing-' in the 'Preprocessor' menu. In the 'Shape & Size' menu, select 'Global Elem Size...' Give a 'SIZE' of 200 and click on OK. Close the 'Shape & Size' menu.

Now you can tell ANSYS to mesh the beam:

Select 'Mesh' under '-Meshing-' in the 'Preprocessor' menu. Select 'Lines' in the 'Mesh' menu. Use the mouse to pick the line in the graphics window. It will be surrounded by a yellow box when picked. Click on 'OK' in the 'Mesh Lines' Box. Close the 'Mesh' menu.

Plot your elements by:

Select 'Numbering' in the 'PlotCtrls' Menu. Turn off Keypoint numbering so that the plot does not become confusing. Click on the 'Elem & Attrib numbering' box, and select 'Element numbers'. Click on 'OK'. From the 'Plot' menu, select 'Elements' and you will then see the elements plotted in multiple colours, with their element numbers.

Since many of the results will be given by node, it would be a good idea to look at how the nodes are numbered:

Select 'Numbering' from the 'PlotCtrls' menu, and turn on node numbering. You will see that the plot becomes very cluttered with numbers. To see the nodes and node numbers plotted by themselves, select 'Nodes' from the 'Plot' menu and you will be able to see how the nodes are numbered. Notice that they are not necessarily numbered from left to right.

Save the model at this time, so if you make some mistakes later on, you will be able to come back to this point:

Select 'Utility Menu Bar'/'File'/'Save As...'. At the top of the window that appears, you will see *.db, preceeded by a directory name. Change the * to whatever name you want, say 'model1' so that the box now contains 'model1.db' preceeded by a full directory name. (The .db is important, so make sure you include it.) Click on 'OK'.

You have now defined your model. It is now time to apply the load(s) and constraint(s) and solve the the resulting system of equations.

Solution Phase: Assigning Loads and Solving

Close the 'Preprocessor' menu and open up the 'Solution' menu (from the same 'ANSYS Main Menu'). First you must tell ANSYS how you want it to solve this problem: Select 'New Analysis' and ensure that 'Static' is selected, and click 'OK'; i.e. you are going to do a static analysis on the beam as apposed to a dynamic analysis, for example. Now you must apply some loads and constraints:

Select 'Apply' under '-Loads-' title. We will start with constraints, so select 'Displacement >' Select 'On Nodes' Use the mouse to pick the node at 0,0 in the graphics window. Click on 'OK' in the 'Apply U,ROT' window. Choose what degrees of freedom are to be constrained. In this case, you have a cantilevered beam, so all DOF's are constrained at this end. Select 'All DOF' and click on 'OK'. (You will see some triangles in the graphics window indicating the contraints. The rotation contraint is marked in orange, and the displacement constraints are in blue. You may not be able to see the rotation constraint because of the angle of view.)

Let's get a better look at the situation before we apply a load:

Turn off the node numbering ('Utility menu bar'/'PlotCtrls'/'Numbering'). Plot the elements ('Utility menu bar'/'Plot'/'Elements') We will rotate the picture to an isometric view: Select 'Utility menu bar'/'PlotCtrls'/'Pan, Zoom, Rotate...' In the window that appears, you have many controls. Try experimenting with them. By turning on the dynamic mode (click on the button beside 'Dynamic Mode' so that it turns yellow) you can use the mouse to drag the image, translating and rotating it on all three axes. To get an isometric view, click on 'Iso' (at the top right). You can either leave the 'Pan, Zoom, Rotate' window open and move it to an empty area on the screen, or close it if your screen in already cluttered.

You may find that the triad symbol at the origin (in the graphics window) is confusing the picture. You can turn it off, or move it to another location. Select: o 'Utility menu bar'/'PlotCtrls'/'Window Controls'/'Window Options...' o Click on the button by '/TRIAD' to adjust the location of triad symbol. Its default location is at the origin, but it can be moved to another location on the screen (note that it will then not mark the location of the axes, but only their direction) or turned off.

You can also try adjusting the other parameters in the 'Window Options' box. Click on 'Apply' to have your changes take effect without closing the window. Click on 'OK' when you are done.

It's time to apply the load:

If you still have the 'Apply' menu open, select 'Force/Moment >'. (If you don't have 'Apply' open, its under '-Loads-' in the 'Solution' menu.) Choose 'On Nodes' Pick the node at the end of the beam with the mouse. Click on 'OK' in the 'Apply F/M' window. In the next window to appear: o Click on the button at the top and select FY. This indicate that we will be applying the load in the 'y' direction o Enter a value of -10000 in the box below. o Click on 'OK'. The force will appear in the graphics window as a red arrow.

Close all open 'Apply' menus.

Now tell ANSYS to find the solution:

In the 'Solution' menu under the '-Solve-' title, select 'Current LS' This indicates that we desire the solution under the current Load Step (LS). Click on 'OK' in the window that comes up after a few seconds. You may close the solution '/STAT window' that has appeared from the solution phase.

Postprocessing: Viewing the Results

You will now want to view the results. To do this you must enter the post-processor:

Close the 'Solution' menu. Select 'General Postprocessor' from the 'ANSYS Main Menu'.

Read the results by selecting 'By Load Step...' under '-Read Results-'. Select Load Step 1 in the window that appears, and click on OK. Plot your results:

Select 'Plot Results' in the 'General Postprocessor' menu. Select 'Deformed Shape...' Select what you want to plot (e.g. 'Def+ undeformed') and click on 'OK'.

You will notice in the legend in the graphics window that there is the text 'DSCA=12.5'. This refers to the displacement scaling. In other words, the displacements in the figure look 12.5 times larger than they really are. You can adjust the displacement scaling by selecting 'Utility Menu Bar'/'PlotCtrls'/'Style'/'Displacement Scaling...'. You probably want to know the actual displacements of the beam:

Close the 'Plot Results' menu. Select 'List Results' on the 'General Postprocessor' menu. Select 'Sort Nodes...' Set 'ORDER' to 'Ascending Order' Leave 'NUMB' blank. In the leftmost of the lists beside 'Item,Comp' select 'geometry'. In the right list select 'Node loc X'. Click on 'OK'. Select 'Nodal Solution...' from the 'General Postprocessor' menu. Choose 'DOF Solution' and 'ALL DOFs' from the lists in the 'List Nodal Solution' window. Click on 'OK'.

How do these numbers compare with expected analytical results? The nodal results will be displayed. Node 2 will be displayed after 1 & 3-11. This is due to the way that ANSYS numbers the nodes. Node 2 is at the end of the beam (at x=2000). If you had not sorted the nodes before displaying the nodal solution, the results would have been displayed in order of node from 1-11, which does not correspond to the actual physical location of the nodes. Look now at the forces in the elements:

Select 'Element Solution...' from the 'General Postprocessor' menu. Select 'Nodal force data' and 'All forces' from the lists displayed. Click on 'OK'. For each of the 10 elements, the force/moment values at each of the two nodes per element will be displayed.

You probably want some information about stresses in the beam:

Close the 'List Results' menu if it is still open. Select 'Element Table' from the 'General Postprocessor' menu. Select 'Define Table...' Click on 'Add...' In the 'Lab' box, type 'axiali' In the 'Selection' box, type 'ls,1' Click on 'Apply'. Similarly, define two more items:

Lab: 'bendingi'; Selection: 'ls,3' (click on 'Apply') Lab: 'bendingj'; Selection: 'ls,6' (click on 'OK') Close the 'Element Table Data' window. (click on 'Close') Select 'List Elem Table...' in the 'Element Table' menu. In the box that appears, select AXIALI, BENDINGI, and BENDINGJ, and click on 'OK'.

o o

A list of stresses will appear. The axial stresses (AXIALI) are zero throughout, as we would expect. The other two (BENDINGI & BENDINGJ) refer to the bending stresses at each end of each element. Let's get a plot of the bending stresses:

Close the 'Element Table' Menu. Select 'Plot Results' from the 'General Postprocessing' menu. Select 'Line Elem Res..' In the window that appears, set LabI to BENDINGI and LabJ to BENDINGJ. Click on 'OK'.

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