RD-4020: Large Displacement Analysis of a Cantilever Beam using RA...

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HyperWorks Tutorials

RD-4020: Large Displacement Analysis of a Cantilever Beam using

RADIOSS
In this tutorial, multi-body dynamics analysis (simulation type: Transient Analysis) of a slender cantilever beam will be
performed using RADIOSS. An existing finite element model of a cantilever beam will be imported into HyperMesh. The
rest of the setup (creation of joint, loading, etc.) will also be done in HyperMesh. HyperView will be used to
post-process the large displacement results of a cantilever beam model.

In this tutorial, you will learn how to create a JOINT, a PFBODY, an MBMNTC and a multi-body dynamics subcase.
The beam model consists of 10 different flexible bodies (PFBODY) and each body is to be connected through a fixed
joint and rigid element (RBE2).

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Modeling RBE2

There are two RBE2s defined at the boundary of each body (one for each body at this boundary). The fixed joint will be
created using coincident nodes which are independent nodes of each of the RBE2s.
These exercises will show how to:

Load a model into HyperMesh

Create a component for JOINT

Create a fixed joint

Create a PFBODY

Create load collectors for MBMNTC and MBSIM

Create an MBMNTC

Create an MBSIM

Create a multi-body dynamics subcase

Submitting the job

Post-process the results in HyperView

Load the model

Exercise
Step 1: Retrieve the structural model and define the RADIOSS (Bulk Data) template
1. Launch HyperMesh.
2. Select the RADIOSS (BulkData) in the User Profile dialog and click OK.
3. Click File > Open > Model.
4. Select the cantilever_beam_MBD.hm file, located in the HyperWorks installation directory under
<install_directory>/tutorials/hwsolvers/radioss.
5. Click Open.

Creating Joints (Steps 2 - 4)

Here, all the necessary joints required for this model are defined. Only fixed joints for this model are needed.

Step 2: Create components for JOINT

1. Click the Component icon

2. Select the create subpanel using the radio buttons on the left-hand side of the panel.
3. Click comp name= and enter joints.
4. Click color and select any color.
5. Click the switch beside card image = and change to <no card image>.
6. Click the

switch beside property= and change to <no property>.

7. Click create.
This creates the new component named joints.
8. Click return to the main menu.

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Step 3: Create a JOINT for the clamped boundary condition

The fix joint at the left corner of body_1 will be created to represent clamped boundary condition. This fixed joint will be
created using coincident nodes, so that coincident nodes need to be created first at the left corner of body_1.
1. Click Geometry > Create > Nodes > XYZ to open the Create Nodes panel.
2. Move the cursor to the upper left corner of body_1 and click 3 times (see the following figure). You will get the
nodal coordinate (x=, y=, z=) of that node.

Location of coincident nodes

3. Click create.
4. Repeat the last two steps to create another coincident node at lower left corner of body_1.
5. Click return.
6. Click Mesh > Create > 1D Elements > Joints to open the Joints panel.
7. Click the joint type: selector switch and select fixed from the pop-up menu.
8. Click node under first terminal: and select one of the coincident nodes at upper left corner node.
Note:
-

To select the coincident nodes, the coincident picking option has to be turned on, to do
this:
From the Preferences pull-down menu on the toolbar, select Options.
-

Select the graphics subpanel.

Check the box for coincident picking.

Click return to return to the joints panel.

9. Under second terminal:, click node and select the other coincident nodes at the same location.

Fixed joint

10. Click create.

11. Repeat this process to create a fixed joint at lower left corner of body_1.
12. Click return.

Step 4: Create a fixed joint for each boundary of components

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Fix joint will be created at the boundary of each component.

1. Click Mesh > Create > 1D Elements > Joints to open the Joints panel.
2. Click the joint type: selector switch and select fixed.
3. Zoom in to the boundary between Body_1 and Body_2.
4. Select one of the coincident nodes as first terminal: (see the following figure).
5. Select the other coincident nodes as second terminal:.
6. Click create.

Fixed joint

7. Repeat this process to create a fixed joint for the boundary of each body.
8. Click return.

Step 5: Creating PFBodies

PFBODY is the Flexible Body Definition for Multi-body Simulation. PFBODY defines a flexible body out of a list of finite
element properties, elements, and grid points.
We will have ten bodies apart from the ground body in our model.
To define the parts as PFBODY (Flexible Body definition):
1. From the Analysis page, click bodies.
2. Select the create subpanel.
3. Click body= and enter pfbdy_1.
4. Click type= and select PFBODY.
5. Click comps and check the box for body_1.
6. Click select.
7. Click elems and select by collector from the pop-up menu.
8. Check the box for the component rigid_1 and click select.
9. Use the toggle for number of modes: to switch from nmodes default to nmodes=.
10. Click nmodes= and enter 3.
11. Click create.
12. Switch over to the parameters subpanel using the radio buttons on the left-hand side of the panel.

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13. Use the damping: toggle to change from damping default to dval=.
14. Click dval= and enter 10.0.
15. Click update.
16. Repeat this process to create a PFBODY for each flexible body.
For example, for body_2:
body= pfbdy_2,
comps= body_2,
elems = rigid_2, and so on.
Make sure that all PFBODY have a damping of 10.0 defined in parameters subpanel.
17. Click return.

Defining external inputs and simulation parameters (Steps 6 - 8)

The moment applied at the end of the beam, the gravity force that applies to the model and MBSIM bulk data card,
which is to specify the parameter for multi body simulation, will be created in this step.

Step 6: Create DTI, UNITS

1. Click Setup > Create > Control Cards to open the Control Cards panel.
2. Click DTI_UNITS.
3. Define the unit system, shown below.

4. Click return twice.

Step 7: Create load collector for MBSIM

1. Click the Load Collectors icon

2. Click loadcol name = and enter mbmoment.

Make sure no card image is specified.
3. Click create.
4. Click loadcol name = and enter sim.
5. Switch from no card image to card image.
6. Click card image= and select MBSIM.
7. Click create/edit.
8. For TYPE, select TRANS.
9. For TTYPE, select END.
10. In the TIME field, enter 0.5.
11. For STYPE, select DELTA.
12. In the DELTA field, enter 2.0e-04.
13. Change ITYPE to VSTIFF.

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14. Click return twice.

Step 8: Create an MBMNTC

First, load types for moment need to be changed to MBMNTC. It is set to MOMENT by default.
1. From the Analysis page, select load types.
2. Click moment= and select MBMNTC.
3. Click return.
MBMNTC is the moment based on the curve so that the curve will be created next.
4. Click XYPlots > Curve Editor to bring up the Curve editor window.
5. Click New.
6. For name =, enter mycurve.
7. Click proceed.
8. Select mycurve from the Curve List: located in upper left corner of the window.
9. Populate the X Y table, as shown here:

10. Click Update > Close.

11. Expand the Load Collector folder in the Model Browser.
12. Right-click on mbmoment and click Make Current.
13. From the Analysis page, click moments.
14. Click nodes.
15. Select 2 nodes at right tip of a beam, as shown in the following figure.

MBMNTC

16. Click the switch beside magnitude= and change to curve, components.

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17. In the z comp= field, enter 1.0.

18. The x comp, y comp should remain at 0.
19. Click curve.
20. Select mycurve.
21. Click create > return.

Step 9: Create a RADIOSS subcase

1. Click Setup > Create > LoadSteps to open the LoadSteps panel.
2. Set the type: to multi-body dynamics.
3. Click name = and enter Dynamic.
4. Check the box preceding MBSIM.
An entry field appears to the right of MBSIM.
5. Click on the entry field and select sim from the list of load collectors.
6. Check the box preceding MLOAD.
7. Click on the entry field and select mbmoment from the list of load collectors.
8. Click create > return to go to the main menu.

Step 10: Submit the job

1. From the Analysis page, enter the Radioss panel.
2. Click save as following the input file: field.
A Save As browser window opens.
3. Select the directory where you would like to write the RADIOSS model file and enter the name for the model,
cantilever_beam_MBD.fem, in the File name: field.
The .fem file name extension is the suggested extension for RADIOSS input decks.
4. Click Save.
Note the name and location of the cantilever_beam_MBD.fem file shows in the input file: field.
5. Set the memory options: toggle to memory default.
6. Click the run options: switch and select analysis.
7. Set the export options: toggle to all.
8. Click Radioss.
This launches a RADIOSS run in a separate shell (DOS or UNIX) which appears.
If the optimization was successful, no error messages are reported to the shell. The optimization is complete when
the message Processing complete appears in the shell.

Step 11: View the Results in HyperView

This step describes how to view the results in HyperView.
HyperView is a complete post-processing and visualization environment for finite element analysis (FEA), multi-body
system simulation, video and engineering data.
To view a contour plot of the displacement and stress:
1. While in the Radioss panel of the Analysis page, click the green HyperView button.

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Note that the path and file name for cantilever_beam_MBD.h3d appears in the fields to the right of Load model
and Load results. This is fine because the .h3d format contains both model and results data.
The model and results are loaded in the current HyperView window.
2. Click the Contour toolbar button

3. For Result type: select Displacement(v).

4. Click Apply.
5. Verify that the Animate Mode is set to Transient.
6. Click the Start/Pause Animation icon to start the animation.

7. The Animation Controls are in the panel next to the playback controls.

The HyperView playback controls

8. With the animation running, use the bottom slider bar to adjust the speed of the animation.
9. Click the Start/Pause Animation icon again to stop the animation.
10. Click the Contour toolbar button

11. For Result type:, select Element Stresses (2D & 3 D) (t).
12. Click Apply.

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RADIOSS Tutorials

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