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8/12/2019 Fem Workshop

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2-D Plane Stress Analysis in SolidWorks

The objective of this workshop is to determine the stress and displacement distribution in a 2-D elastic

object. See figure below.

This example will use material properties and applied boundary forces given as:

, , and

1.Starting up SolidWorks:

After starting SolidWorks, go to the top menu bar and select Add-ins. In the Add-Ins window, check

SolidWorks Simulation and the corresponding Start Up then select OK.

Now start a New SolidWorks Document and select Part from the menu. Then selected Options from the

top menu. Go to Document PropertiesUnits and select CGS.

2. Model Creation:

Under the Features tab, select Extruded Boss/Base. Select the Front Plane.


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Use the line tool from the Sketch tab to draw a sketch matching the diagram at the beginning of the

workshop. The line tool will snap to horizontal and vertical, click for each end point. Press Esc to stop the

sketch operation. Next select Smart Dimension tool from the Sketch tab. Use the tool to select and precisely

set the horizontal and vertical dimensions of the defined sides. Press Esc or click the green checkmark on the

Dimension menu to stop.

Then select Exit Sketch from the Sketch tab. Use the View menu above the sketch to select Trimetric view.In the Boss-Extrude menu on the left set the thickness dimension to 2.5 cm. Then click on the green

checkmark to complete the Extrude operation.


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3. Creating Study:

On the Simulation tab, select New Study from the Study drop-down menu. Select Static from the Study menu

window and click the check mark to start the study. Next click on Apply Material. Navigate to the bottom of

the Materials menu and find Custom Materials. Right click on Custom Materials and define a new category.

You can choose any name for this category such as New Material. Right click on the New Material to define a

new material. Rename it to 1029 HR. Enter 20e10 for Elastic Modulus and 0.25 for Poissons Ratio. Then

enter 200e6 for Yield Strength. Select Apply and then Close.

4. Boundary conditions:

Under the Fixtures drop-down menu, select Fixed Geometry. Select the left edge on the model. Use the

arrow keys or the View menu to rotate the model for selection. Then click on the green checkmark to

complete.

Then in the External Loads drop-down menu, select Pressure. Select the top of the right end of the model

and enter a value of 7e7 for the Pressure Value. Click on the green checkmark to complete.


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5. Results:

Select Run form the Simulation menu. After it runs, then select ResultsNew PlotStress. Click the green

checkmark in the Plot window on the left to display the plot.


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Next use the Results drop-down menu to create a Displacement Plot.

Please notice that this is a relatively coarse mesh and in order to get more reliable results it should be

refined further using an adaptive meshing method.

Now on your own make the following changes on stress and displacement plots:

1. Right click on Stress Result and click on Edit Definition. On the Stress Plot menu, you may changedisplay to any other stress components. You may also change the unit of stress. Change the

Advanced, and Deformed Shape options to decide the best way to present the Stress Plot.

2. Right click on Stress Result again and this time select Setting option. Try different options underFringe, Boundary, and Deformed Plot Options.

3. Right click on Stress Result and select the Probe option. The probe option will help you to seethe numerical results (stresses) at the selected position of the finite element model.

4. Right click on Stress Result and this time select Animate option. This will help you to see howstresses are developing through the volume of the finite element model.

5. Try all the above options for the displacement plot.6. Generate a report

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