Table of Contents

www.kxcad.net Home > CAE Index > ANSYS Index > Release 11.0 Documentation for ANSYS

1. Understanding Model Generation

1.1. What Is Model Generation?

1.2. Typical Steps Involved in Model Generation Within ANSYS

1.2.1. Comparing Solid Modeling and Direct Generation

1.3. Importing Solid Models Created in CAD systems

2. Planning Your Approach

2.1. Choosing a Model Type (2-D, 3-D, etc.)

2.2. Choosing Between Linear and Higher Order Elements

2.2.1. Linear Elements (No Midside Nodes)

2.2.2. Quadratic Elements (Midside Nodes)

2.3. Limitations on Joining Different Elements

2.4. Finding Ways to Take Advantage of Symmetry

2.4.1. Some Comments on Axisymmetric Structures

2.5. Determining How Much Detail to Include

2.6. Determining the Appropriate Mesh Density

3. Coordinate Systems

3.1. Global and Local Coordinate Systems

3.1.1. Global Coordinate Systems

3.1.2. Local Coordinate Systems

3.1.3. The Active Coordinate System

3.1.4. Surfaces

3.1.5. Closed Surfaces and Surface Singularities

3.2. Display Coordinate System

3.3. Nodal Coordinate Systems

3.3.1. Data Interpreted in the Nodal Coordinate System

3.4. Element Coordinate Systems

3.5. The Results Coordinate System

4. Using Working Planes

4.1. Creating a Working Plane

4.1.1. Defining a New Working Plane

4.1.2. Controlling the Display and Style of the Working Plane

4.1.3. Moving the Working Plane

4.1.4. Rotating the Working Plane

4.1.5. Recreating a Previously-defined Working Plane

4.2. Working Plane Enhancements

4.2.1. Snap Increment

4.2.2. Display Grid

4.2.3. Retrieval Tolerance

4.2.4. Coordinate Type

4.2.5. Working Plane Tracking

5. Solid Modeling

5.1. An Overview of Solid Modeling Operations

5.2. Creating Your Solid Model from the Bottom Up

5.2.1. Keypoints

5.2.2. Hard Points

5.2.3. Lines

5.2.4. Areas

5.2.5. Volumes

5.3. Creating Your Solid Model from the Top Down: Primitives

5.3.1. Creating Area Primitives

5.3.2. Creating Volume Primitives

5.4. Sculpting Your Model with Boolean Operations

5.4.1. Boolean Operation Settings

5.4.2. Entity Numbering After Boolean Operations

5.4.3. Intersect

5.4.4. Pairwise Intersect

5.4.5. Add

5.4.6. Subtract

5.4.7. Working Plane Subtract

5.4.8. Classify

5.4.9. Overlap

5.4.10. Partition

5.4.11. Glue (or Merge)

5.4.12. Alternatives to Boolean Operations

5.5. Updating after Boolean Operations

5.6. Moving and Copying Solid Model Entities

5.6.1. Generating Entities from a Pattern

5.6.2. Generating Entities by Symmetry Reflection

5.6.3. Transferring a Pattern of Entities to a Coordinate System

5.7. Scaling Solid Model Entities

5.8. Solid Model Loads

5.8.1. Transferring Solid Model Loads

5.8.2. Displaying Load Symbols

5.8.3. Turning Off Large Symbols for Node and Keypoint Locations

5.8.4. Selecting a Format for the Graphical Display of Numbers

5.8.5. Listing Solid Model Loads

5.9. Mass and Inertia Calculations

5.10. Considerations and Cautions for Solid Modeling

5.10.1. Representation of Solid Model Entities

5.10.2. When a Boolean Operation Fails

5.10.3. Graphically Identifying Degeneracies

5.10.4. Listing the Keypoints Associated with Degeneracies

5.10.5. Some Suggested Corrective Actions

5.10.6. Other Hints

6. Importing Solid Models from IGES Files

6.1. Working With IGES Files

6.1.1. Using the SMOOTH Option

6.1.2. Using the FACETED Option

7. Generating the Mesh

7.1. Free or Mapped Mesh

7.2. Setting Element Attributes

7.2.1. Creating Tables of Element Attributes

7.2.2. Assigning Element Attributes Before Meshing

7.3. Mesh Controls

7.3.1. The ANSYS MeshTool

7.3.2. Element Shape

7.3.3. Choosing Free or Mapped Meshing

7.3.4. Controlling Placement of Midside Nodes

7.3.5. Smart Element Sizing for Free Meshing

7.3.6. Default Element Sizes for Mapped Meshing

7.3.7. Local Mesh Controls

7.3.8. Interior Mesh Controls

7.3.9. Creating Transitional Pyramid Elements

7.3.10. Converting Degenerate Tetrahedral Elements to Their Non-degenerate Forms

7.3.11. Doing Layer Meshing

7.3.12. Setting Layer Meshing Controls via the GUI

7.3.13. Setting Layer Meshing Controls via Commands

7.3.14. Listing Layer Mesh Specifications on Lines

7.4. Controls Used for Free and Mapped Meshing

7.4.1. Free Meshing

7.4.2. Mapped Meshing

7.5. Meshing Your Solid Model

7.5.1. Generating the Mesh Using xMESH Commands

7.5.2. Generating a Beam Mesh With Orientation Nodes

7.5.3. Generating a Volume Mesh From Facets

7.5.4. Additional Considerations for Using xMESH Commands

7.5.5. Generating a Volume Mesh By Sweeping

7.5.6. Generating an Interface Mesh for Gasket Simulations

7.5.7. Aborting a Mesh Operation

7.5.8. Element Shape Checking

7.5.9. Mesh Validity Checking

7.6. Changing the Mesh

7.6.1. Remeshing the Model

7.6.2. Using the Mesh Accept/Reject Prompt

7.6.3. Clearing the Mesh

7.6.4. Refining the Mesh Locally

7.6.5. Improving the Mesh (Tetrahedral Element Meshes Only)

7.7. Meshing Hints

7.8. Using CPCYC and MSHCOPY Commands

7.8.1. CPCYC Example

7.8.2. CPCYC Results

7.8.3. MSHCOPY Example

7.8.4. Low Sector Boundary

7.8.5. Area Elements from MSHCOPY and AMESH

7.8.6. Meshing the Sector Volume(s)

8. Revising Your Model

8.1. Refining a Mesh Locally

8.1.1. How to Refine a Mesh

8.1.2. Refinement Commands and Menu Paths

8.1.3. Transfer of Attributes and Loads

8.1.4. Other Characteristics of Mesh Refinement

8.1.5. Restrictions on Mesh Refinement

8.2. Moving and Copying Nodes and Elements

8.3. Keeping Track of Element Faces and Orientations

8.3.1. Controlling Area, Line, and Element Normals

8.4. Revising a Meshed Model: Clearing and Deleting

8.4.1. Clearing a Mesh

8.4.2. Deleting Solid Model Entities

8.4.3. Modifying Solid Model Entities

8.5. Understanding Solid Model Cross-Reference Checking

8.5.1. Circumventing Cross-Reference Checking (A Risky Activity)

9. Direct Generation

9.1. Nodes

9.1.1. Reading and Writing Text Files That Contain Nodal Data

9.2. Elements

9.2.1. Prerequisites for Defining Element Attributes

9.2.2. Defining Elements

9.2.3. Reading and Writing Text Files That Contain Element Data

9.2.4. A Note About Overlapping Elements

9.2.5. Modifying Elements By Changing Nodes

9.2.6. Modifying Elements By Changing Element Attributes

9.2.7. A Note About Adding and Deleting Midside Nodes

10. Piping Models

10.1. What the Piping Commands Can Do for You

10.2. Modeling Piping Systems with Piping Commands

10.2.1. Specify the Jobname and Title

10.2.2. Set Up the Basic Piping Data

10.2.3. Define the Piping System's Geometry

10.3. Sample Input

11. Number Control and Element Reordering

11.1. Number Control

11.1.1. Merging Coincident Items

11.1.2. Compressing Item Numbers

11.1.3. Setting Starting Numbers

11.1.4. Adding Number Offsets

11.2. Element Reordering

12. Coupling and Constraint Equations

12.1. What Is Coupling?

12.2. How to Create Coupled Degree of Freedom Sets

12.2.1. Creating and Modifying Coupled Sets at Specified Nodes

12.2.2. Coupling Coincident Nodes

12.2.3. Generating More Coupled Sets

12.2.4. Listing and Deleting Coupled Sets

12.3. Additional Considerations for Coupling

12.4. What Are Constraint Equations?

12.5. How to Create Constraint Equations

12.5.1. The Direct Method

12.5.2. Modifying Constraint Equations

12.5.3. Direct vs. Automatic Constraint Equation Generation

12.5.4. Listing and Deleting Constraint Equations

12.5.5. Program Modification of Constraint Equations

12.5.6. Troubleshooting Problems with Constraint Equations

12.6. Additional Considerations for Constraint Equations

13. Combining and Archiving Models

13.1. Combining Models

13.2. Archiving Models

13.2.1. Log File (File.LOG)

13.2.2. Database File (File.DB)

13.2.3. CDWRITE File(s)

14. Interfaces With Other Programs

14.1. Interfacing With Computer Aided Design (CAD) Products

14.2. Other Interfaces