9/4/2015

IntegrationofAutoFEMAnalysiswithShipConstructor|AutoFEM

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BasedonAutoCAD,ShipConstructoristheleadingsoftwareproductforshipdesignandshipbuilding,adoptedworldwide.
ShipConstructorprovidesthetoolsneededtodesign,modelandprepareproductiondocumentationforanytypeofvessel,
beitaship,asubmarineoranoffshoreplatform.
Inthecourseofdesigningavesseloranoffshorestructure,itisnecessarytoverifyitsstrengthandstiffnesscharacteristics,
preferablyusingFiniteElementAnalysis.ThankstodirectintegrationofAutoFEMAnalysisandAutoCAD,ShipConstructor
userscannowuseapplyAutoFEMtotransparentlyrunFEAanalysisofShipConstructormodels.
AsofAutoFEMAnalysisv2.2,theintegrationwithShipConstructoriscomplete.TheShipConstructor2014stockcatalogue
supportsthemechanicalpropertiesofmaterialsneededforFEA,andAutoFEMreadsthefullmodeltopologydirectly,
including:
Namesofparts
NamesofAutoCADlayers(forpartsinthecurrentdocument)
Dataaboutthematerial(name,grade,etc.).Iftheuserhasnotspecifiedthee,theywillbetakenfromthenativeAutoFEM
Analysismaterialslibrary,usinganamematchingtechnique.

OnlineHelp
Examples
FAQ
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Community

SettingsofintegrationwithShipConstructor

ShipConstructorpartsandallrelatedinformationareacquiredbyAutoFEMAnalysis,and
ifneeded,ShipConstructormaterialsarenamematchedwithmaterialsintheAutoFEMlibrary.

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CalculationexampleofaShipConstructorAssembly

DownloadtutorialvideoaboutAutoFEM&ShipConstructorintegration
DetailedarticleaboutjointworkofAutoFEM&Shipconstructor(pdf)

AutoFEMAnalysis&ShipConstructorSoftware:WorkingTogether

AutoFEMAnalysis&ShipConstructorSoftware:WorkingTogether
PerformingthefiniteelementanalysisofShipConstructorstructuralmodels
Contents
ShipConstructor(SSI,Canada)
AutoFEMAnalysis(AutoFEMSoftware,UnitedKingdom)
JointuseofAutoFEMAnalysisandShipConstructorsoftware
ShipConstructor&AutoFEM:Howdoesitwork?
Inputdata
Preparationofthecalculationmodel
SettingsofintegrationwithShipConstructor
1.DirectreadingofdatafromtheShipConstructormaterialslibrary
2.MappingShipConstructormaterialstoAutoFEMAnalysismaterials
Stagesoffiniteelementanalysis
Creatingasetofobjectsforfiniteelementstudy
Creatingthedesiredstudy
Generatingthefiniteelementmesh
Assigningmaterials
Definingconstraints/restraints
Applyingloads
Solvingthestudy
Studyingtheresults
Reviewofthecolordiagrams
Animationoftheresultonscreen
Creatinganimationvideos
CreatingReports
Conclusion
Supplement.Helpfultipsandadvice
CreatingmaterialsintheAutoFEMAnalysismateriallibrary
Stepstocreateanewmaterial:
Validatingofthemodelandfixingintersections
3Dmodeldiagnostics(study)
Multiplevolumebodies
Noncontactinggroupsofbodies
Intersectingbodies
Contactbetweenbodies
CheckingthePLCrepresentation
Creatingfiniteelementmeshes
Decreasingthefiniteelementsize
Increasingthecurvatureforcylindrical3Dmodels
FlagThinwalledstructure
Meshgenerationerrors
Nodetolerancefor3Dsurfacemodels
Useoftheoption"Stabilizetheunfixedmodel"
Whichisthebetterequationsolvingmethod?
WorkingwithShipConstructorPipes

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Shipbuilding,engineeringandcalculations
Shipbuildingrelatestothefieldofindustrialactivity,inwhich,inadditiontodevelopingtheproject,takingintoaccountallthe
details,designcalculationsforstrength,stability,anddynamiceffectsplaysanimportantrole.Thetechniquesoffinite
elementanalysis(FEM)hasbecometheprincipaltoolofmodernengineerswhousecomputeraideddesign(CAD).FEAhas
beenactivelydevelopedduringthepast50yearsanditsdevelopmenthasgainednewimpetuswiththeemergenceand
spreadingofavailablecomputeraideddesignsystems(CADsystems).

ShipConstructor(SSI,Canada)
TheShipConstructorsuiteofproductshasbeendeliberatelydesignedtomatchstandardindustryprocesses,terminology
andconceptsofmodernshipbuilding.Withtechnologydesignedtoscaleuptothelargestshipbuildingprojects,associative
andparametricshipspecific3Dmodelingcapabilities,andindustryspecificproductionoutputthatpromotesmodular
construction,ShipConstructortrulythinksshipbuilding.AutoCADprovidestheunderlyingCADengineanddraftingtoolsfor
ShipConstructorproducts.MoreinformationabouttheShipConstructorsoftwarecanbefoundatwww.SSIcorporate.com.

AutoFEMAnalysis(AutoFEMSoftware,UnitedKingdom)
AutoFEMAnalysisisacomprehensivesystemoffiniteelementanalysis,which,likeShipConstructor,usesAutoCADasits
geometrymodelingkernel.ThesystemisfocusedonthewidercommunityofusersofAutoCADandallowscarryingoutthe
mostrequiredcalculationswithoutleavingAutoCAD,therebyenjoyingallthebenefitsofanintegratedsolution.More
informationonAutoFEMAnalysissoftwarecanbefoundatwww.autofemsoft.com.

JointuseofAutoFEMAnalysisandShipConstructorsoftware
Takingadvantageofthefactthatbothsoftwareprogramsarebasedonthesamesystem(AutoCAD),ShipConstructorusers
haveanaturalabilitytouseAutoFEMAnalysisforstrengthanalysisandotherFEAtasksinshipbuilding.
TobettermeettheneedsofshipbuildersworkingwithShipConstructor,AutoFEMAnalysisaddedadditionalcapabilitiesin
version2.2toprocessdatastructuresdevelopedandmodelledinShipConstructor,forexamplethedirectacquisitionparts,
theirnamesandmaterials,etc.inthefiniteelementstudy.

ShipConstructor&AutoFEM:Howdoesitwork?

Inputdata
The3DShipConstructorstructuremodelandthecorrespondingmetadata(propertiesandattributes,etc.)constitutethe
fundamentalinputdatarequiredbyAutoFEMAnalysis.Additionally,AutoFEMAnalysis(v2.2andlater)hastheabilityto
applymaterialpropertiesfromitslibrarytoShipConstructorobjects,basedonanamematchingtechnique.And,tocomplete
thepicture,theusercanaddelementsandadditionalmaterialswithintheAutoFEMAnalysisenvironment.Thus,inorderto
proceedwiththefiniteelementstudy,usermust:
haveasolidorsurface3Dstructuralmodel,createdinShipConstructor(obligatory)
assignthematerialstothepartsofthestructureinShipConstructororinAutoFEM.

Preparationofthecalculationmodel
Generally,anyShipConstructormodeldrawing,i.e.anAutoCADfilethatcontainsShipConstructorparts(PlanarGroups,
Assemblies,Arrangements,etc.),canbeusedasthebaseFEAmodel.TheShipConstructoruserhimselfcreatesthe3D
modelswhichwillthenbeanalyzedbyAutoFEM.Thereareseveralwaystopreparea3DmodelforFEAbyAutoFEM,such
as:
UsingtheProductHierarchyDrawing
ProductHierarchydrawingsincludeShipConstructorpartsandcanthereforebeusedforFEAbyAutoFEM.However,they
alsocontaindatanotusedforFEA,anditmaythereforebeconvenienttoenableordisablecertainportionofit.

ProductHierarchyDrawingcanbededicatedtogrouppartsspecificallyforFEA
UsingtheUnit
AUnitdrawingmayalsobeusedforFEAmodelling.

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AFEAstudyaddressingaUnit
UseofAssembly
Productiondrawing(Assemblies,etc.)maybeusedforfiniteelementmodelling,too.

FEAcarriedoutdirectlyonaproductionassembly
UsingtheModelLinkcommand
TheusermaycombineseveraldrawingsandevenUnitstocreatea3DFEAmodel,usingShipConstructor'sModelLink.

CreatingastudyencompassingseveralUnits
"Exporting"the3Dmodelto"external"dwgfiles
Finally,onecanevenexportaShipConstructormodeltoagenericdwgformat,andruntheFEAoutsidetheShipCostructor
environment.

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Finiteelementmodellingofan"exported"ShipConstructor3Dmodel
Thus,theShipConstructorusercanchoosethemostappropriatestrategyforhisFEApurposesfromavarietyofoptions.But,
inallcases,withouteverleavingtheAutoCAD3Denvironment.

SettingsofintegrationwithShipConstructor
AutoFEMAnalysisisuniqueinitsabilitytointegratewiththeShipConstructorenvironmentand,mostespecially,project
database.ThecorrespondingfunctionalitiesareofferedautomaticallytotheuserwhenopeningaShipConstructordrawing.

AutoFEMShipConstructorintegrationsettingsarefoundinthecommanddialog"SetofobjectsforFEA"
TheIntegrationofAutoFEMAnalysiswithShipConstructorsoftwareincludesthefollowingfeatures:
AutoFEMacquirestheShipConstructormodelunits,andwillusethemforFEA
AutoFEMacquirestheShipConstructorpartnames,andusesthemtoidentifythecorrespondingFEobjectsinFEAstudy
AutoFEMacquiresthemechanicalpropertiesofShipConstructorpartsfromtheprojectdatabase,foruseinFEA(first
integrationalternative)
AutoFEMacquiresthematerialnameofShipConstructorpartsfromtheprojectdatabaseandusesthemechanical
propertiesofthematerialbearingthesamenamefoundintheAutoFEMlibrary(secondintegrationalternative).
Letusnowmorecloselyconsiderthetwointegrationalternatives.

1.DirectreadingofdatafromtheShipConstructormaterialslibraryusingthe
"takepropertiesfromSCbase"mode.
Firstly,theuserwillspecifythemechanicalpropertiesofthedesiredmaterialsintheShipConstructorprojectdatabase.For
structuralstrengthandbucklinganalysis,theminimumrequiredsetofpropertiesincludesthemodulusofelasticity(Young's
modulus,forexampleinN/mm2 )andPoisson'sratio(dimensionless).ForFrequencyanalysis(calculationofresonance
frequencies),materialdensityisrequiredaswell.

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StructuralmaterialpropertiesshownintheShipConstructordatabase
TofacilitatethereviewandprocessingofresultsinvolvingsafetyfactorsinstaticstructuralFEA,itisalsorecommendedto
define,foreachmaterial:
tensilestrength,
compressivestrength.
yieldstrength(separatelyfortensionandcompression,asmaybethecase),
When"takepropertiesfromSCbase"isselected,thesystemwillreadthematerialpropertiesfromtheShipConstructor
projectdatabaseandwillusethemfortheFEAcalculation.
Thisapproachisverypowerfulfordesignandscantlingsizingwork,asmaterialpropertiesaresetonlyonce,inthe
ShipConstuctorprojectdatabase(andareavailabletootherprojectdatabases).

2.MappingShipConstructormaterialstoAutoFEMAnalysismaterialsusing
the"useAutoFEMmaterialsbyname"mode.
TheuserwillensurethatthedesiredmaterialsintheAutoFEMandShipConstructorlibrariesbearthesamename.The
materialpropertiesarethendefinedonlyintheAutoFEMlibrary,andthesewillbeusedforFEAcalculations.

CreatingamaterialwhosenameisthesameintheAutoFEMandShipConstructormateriallibraries

AssigningmaterialtoapartinShipConstructor
Thisapproachisconvenientbecauseitallowstousematerialswithcomplexproperties(e.g.,anisotropic)fortheanalysisof
ShipConstructormodels,andalsotosolvetheproblemsofheatconductionandfatigue,inwhichthenonlinearmaterial
propertiesarenotstoredintheShipConstructormaterialdatabaseandinfactcandependonvariousparameterswhich
identifiedandquantifiedduringcalculation.

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AutoFEMAnalysislibraryofmaterialsallowsspecifyingmaterialswithcomplexproperties
andapplyingthemtoShipConstructormodelsforFEA.

Stagesoffiniteelementanalysis
ThetypicalsequenceofanAutoFEMAnalysisFEArunincludesthefollowingsteps:
Creatingasetofobjectsforfiniteelementstudy
Creatingthedesiredstudy(varioustypesareavailable)
Generatingthefiniteelementmesh
Assigningmaterials(unlessalreadyacquiredfromShipConstructor
Definingboundaryconditions(constraints,loads)
Calculation
Analysisofresults
Thefollowingparagraphspresentthestepslistedabove,basedonastaticstrengthanalysisexample.

Creatingasetofobjectsforfiniteelementstudy
Thefirststepinvolvedthecreationofthedesiredobjectsforfiniteelementstudy,asetwhichmayincludeallthemodel's
components,oronlysomeofthem.TocreatetheFEobjects,theAutoFEMPreprocessoracquiresthe3Dgeometryofthe
structurefromAutoCAD,whichisuseddirectly,therebyguaranteeingabsolutegeometricfidelity.
OnlyonesetofobjectsforFEAcanbedefinedinadocument,andallsubsequentstudieswillbebasedonthissetanduse
someoralloftheobjects.Therefore,differentstudiescaninvolvedifferentgroupsofobjects,allfromthesameset.
Therearetwotypesofobjectsets:
setmadeof3Dsolids(AutoCAD3Dsolids)
setmadeofsurfaceobjects(AutoCAD3Dsurfaces)
ShipConstructoruserswillgenerallyworkwithsetsof3Dsolidobjects,asillustratedbelow.
IntheShipConstructordrawing,gototheAutoFEMtabandrunthe"Createastudy"command.Ifthedocumentdoesnothave
anexistingsetofobjectsforFEA,adialogappears,tocreateit.

Runningthe"Createastudy"command

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ObjectsforFEAcanbecreatedviatheSetofobjectsforFEAdialog

Checkingforobject/objectintersections(clashes)
InordertocreatethecorrectandrepresentativeFEAmesh,object/objectintersections(clashes)mustbefoundand
processed.Ifanyarefound,thefollowingmessageappears:

Thesystemofferstoautomaticallyfixallobject/objectintersections

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Ifuserrefusestheremovalofclashes,thismaythendestroythemeshgenerationprocess.Thepresenceofclashesis
admissibleinthecasewhenonewantstoworkwiththeplatesurfacestudy,basedonthefacesof3Dsolidmodels.
However,volumetric(tetrahedral)meshesforeseethateachmeshpointbelongstoasingleobjectandthereareno
intersectionsbetween3Dsolids.
Inpractice,intersectionsbetweenobjects(clashes)shouldbeavoidedwhenusingvolumetricFEelements(tetrahedrons).
Onceintersectionsarefixed(eliminated),thestudycreationprocesscontinues.

Creatingthedesiredstudy
Afterthesuccessfulcreationofasetofobjects,thecommanddialog"CreatingStudy"appearsautomatically.AutoFEMallows
twoprincipalFEformulations:
1.Volumetricformulation:modelgeometryisapproximatedwithtetrahedralfiniteelements.
2.Plate(shell)formulation:usedinthecaseofthinwalledstructures,themodelgeometryisapproximatedwithtriangular
finiteelementsofplate/shelltype.Suchformulationsarefurtherdistinguishedas:
3DAutoCADsurfacemodels(AutoCADsurfaces)
3DAutoCADsolidmodels,thefacesofwhichareusedtobuildtheFEmeshmodel
ThestudycanincludealltheobjectsinthesetofobjectsforFEA,oronlysomeofthem,userselected.Thegroupofobjects
selectedforastudycanbemodifiedbyaddingorremovingobjects.Studiescanbecopied,andtheirtypemaybemodified.
Forexample,onecancreateandrunaStaticAnalysisstudy,thenchangethetypetoBucklingAnalysisandrunitagainwith
nofurtheraction:objects,boundaryconditions,etc.areallpersisted.Thisstrategysavesconsiderabletime,eliminatesmany
sourcesoferror,etc.
TheStudycreationdialog

Generatingthefiniteelementmesh
Oncetheobjectgroupofastudyisdefined,themeshcreationdialogisautomaticallybeingavailable.Formodelsbasedon
3Dsolids,atetrahedralfiniteelementmeshwillbegenerated.Formodelsbasedon3Dsurfaces,AutoFEMwillusetriangular
finiteelements.

ThemeshiscreatedintheMeshingParametersdialog.
FortypicalShipConstructormodels,whosepartswhichareusuallyrelativelythinandspacedapart,itisrecommendedto
buildthefiniteelementmeshusingthe"Thinwalledstructure(regular)"option,whichwillresultinabalancedand
representativeFEmesh.Oncetheothermeshparametersareselected,themesh'squalitycanbeevaluatedandthecreation
processcompleted:

ThetetrahedralgridmodelofaShipConstructormodel

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Assigningmaterials
TheAutoFEMAnalysismaterialslibraryincludesthematerialsmostcommonlyusedinvariousindustries.AutoFEMsupports
anisotropicmaterials,andallowstosetgraphsofnonlineardependenceofultimatestrengthvsnumberofloadingcycles
(SNcurves)forthedesiredmaterials.
Asnotedabove,AutoFEMcanalsoacquirematerial'snamedirectlyfromtheShipConstructormaterialslibraryandadd
propertiesonlypresentintheAutoFEMmateriallibrary(ShipConstructordoesnotneedallstrengthrelatedparametersofa
givenmaterial).Ingeneral,ifamaterialispresentintheShipConstructormaterialslibrary,itspropertiesshouldbe
maintainedthere.

TheAutoFEMmaterialslibrary

Materialsdisplayednexttotheparts'namesineachstudy

Definingconstraints/restraints
FEAgenerallyrequiresforcebalancing,hencethemodelbeinganalyzedmustbefixedinspace.AutoFEMprovided
dedicatedcommands(Fixture,PlaneofSymmetry,Elasticbase)forthis,allowingthespecificationofaconstraint'snature(full
orpartial).Specialfilters(selectors)facilitatetheselectionofthemodelelement(s)towhichtheconstraintsareapplied:
faces,edges,vertices.Whenrequired,usercoordinatesystemsareprovidedtospecifytheorientationofthedegreesof
freedom.Constraintsareshowngraphicallyonthemodel.
TheRestraintdialog

DefiningtherestraintsofaShipConstructormodel

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Applyingloads
Manydifferenttypesofloadsareavailable:force,pressure,acceleration,torquehydrostaticload,centrifugalforce,andthe
additionalmass.Theuserdeterminesthemagnitudeanddirectionofloadsandtheirapplicationlocations.Eachloadis
identifieduniquelyinthePreprocessorwindow,andthesymbol'ssizeandcolorareadjustableintheForcedialogue.

Applyingloadstoastructuralmodel
The"AutoFEMPalette"liststhedefinedstudies,andeachstudy'spertinentdata,meshcharacteristics,materials,boundary
conditionsandcalculationsresults.Additionally,contextualmenusarealsoavailableforeachiteminthelist.TheAutoFEM
PaletteandthestudytreeareAutoFEM'sprincipalworkmanagementtools.

StudyTree,showingthecalculationruns

Solvingthestudy
Oncethefiniteelementmeshhasbeencreated,thematerialsassigned,restraintsandloadsimposed,thecalculationscan
berun.Priortorunningthecalculations,theuserselectstheequationsolvingmethod,alistofresultstobemadeavailable,
andfinallyspecifiesadditionalanalysisoptionswhichdependonthetypeofanalysistoberun(buckling,nonlinear,thermo
elasticity,etc.).

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Runningcalculationsfromthecontextualmenu(left)andfromtheAutoFEMRibbon(right)
Oncethecalculationstarts,theStudyPropertiesmayrequestadditionalinformationspecifictothatrun:

PropertiesofaStaticAnalysisstudy

Solvingdialog,reportingoncalculationstatusandprogress

Studyingtheresults
Oncearuncompletessuccessfully,thelistofresultsappearsintheStudyTreeand,fromthecontextualmenuofagiven
result,theuseropensthecorrespondingPostprocessorwindow.Resultsaredisplayedascolormapsdirectlyappliedtothe
structuralmodel,andtheuserhasadditionaltoolsavailabletoinvestigatetheresults:
tooltipsshowtheresultvalueasaflyout
labelswiththeresultvalue(doubleclick)
sensorsspecialtooltoassessresultsatapreselectedpoint
graphics,allowingtoreflectchangesintheresult
section,allowingtolookintotheinteriorofthemodelandreviewresultsforotherwiseinvisiblepoints
reportcreatesanindependenthtmlbaseddocument,containingtheprincipalresults,withcolordiagramsand3DVRML
modelsoftheresults

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onscreenresultsanimation
creatingavideooftheresultsanimation,inseveralvideoformats

Reviewofthecolordiagrams
Instaticstrengthanalysis,reviewoftheresultsbeginswiththeinvestigationofdisplacements.Themustmakesurethatthe
calculateddisplacementscorrespondtotheexpectedandhaveaphysicalsense.Then,onemayproceedtoreviewing
stresses,etc.

Displayingthecalculateddeflections

Safetyfactorsexpressedasequivalentstress

Animationoftheresultonscreen
Resultscanbeanimatedonscreen,onepurposebeingtoreviewchangesduetoloadingchanges.
.

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Toolsforresultsanimationonscreen

Creatinganimationvideos
Theusercancreatevideooftheresultanimations.

Creatingvideoofanimatedresult

CreatingReports
The"Report"commandcreatesanhtmldocumentthatincludeswithprincipaldatapertainingtothestudyathand.The
documentcanbesaved.

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"Report"commandinthecontextualmenu,anditsdialogbox

Sectionsofthereport

Resultsoverlaidonthe3Dmodel,VRMLformat,inthehtmlreport
Atthispoint,theuserhasidentifiedmaximumdisplacementsandsafetyfactors,andcanascertainthedesign'sapplicability
toitsintendeduse.Moreover,presentationmaterialshavebeengenerated,includingvideosanddetailedhtmlreports.

Conclusion
ShipConstructorthishaveavailableafullyintegrated,fullscopeFEAtooltoanalyzetheirShipConstructormodels.
FormoreinformationonAutoFEMAnalysis,pleasevisitwww.autofemsoft.com.

Supplement.Helpfultipsandadvice

CreatingmaterialsintheAutoFEMAnalysismateriallibrary
Aswasmentionedearlierinthisdocument,intheShipConstructor/AutoFEMintegratedenvironmentmaterialscanbe
assignedtostructuralelementsinvariousways.
InordertoapplymaterialpropertiesfoundinAutoFEMmaterialslibrarybutinShipConstructor's,thenameofthematerialat
handmustbethesameinthetwolibraries.Thestepstoensurethisare:

Stepstocreateanewmaterial:
1.Createanewusersmaterialslibraryoropenanexistingone.

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Creatingtheusersmaterialslibrary
2.Intheusersmaterialslibrary,selectanexistinggroupofmaterialsorcreateanewone.

Creatinganewgroupofmaterials
3.Whenthecursorisonthegroupofmaterials,select"Createanewmaterial"inthecontextmenu.

Creatinganewmaterial
4.Choosethematerialtype:Isotropic,OrthotropicorTransversallyisotropic.Then,enterthenameofthematerial,and
clickOK..AfterOKispressed,thenewmaterialwillappearinthecurrentgroupofmaterials.

Typingthenameofthematerial
5.Selectthenewlycreatedmaterialfromthelistofmaterialsandfillinitsparameters,choosingthemfromtheavailable
selectionlist
6.PressOKtocompletecreationofthematerialandclosethedialog.

Validatingofthemodelandfixingintersections
Themodel'sgeometrymustbecheckedtomakesureitisuseableinanFEAexercise.Someofthecommonproblemsto
lookforinAutoCADmodelsinclude:
Intersections(clashes)of3Dsolids.IntersectingelementsdonotmodelreallifefromaFEAstandpoint.Anypoint
inaFEAmodelmustbelongtoasingleelementor,inourcase,physicalShipConstructorpart.Sometimes,
eliminatingintersectionsmayresultsmallchangestotheoverall3Dgeometry,differenceswhicharegenerallysmall
enoughtobenegligible.Therefore,theautomaticremedyingprocessofferedbyAutoFEMvastlyoutweighsthe
marginallymoreaccuratebutalsopotentiallyimpossiblemanualcorrectionapproach.

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Automaticdetectionandresolvingofintersections
Warning!
IntersectionsareresolvedusingAutoCADcommands,aprocesswhichmayrequireconsiderabletimeforverylarge
ShipConstructormodels.Inextremecases,AutoCADmayactuallycrash.
"Flying"parts.Theseareobjectsdisconnectedfromthemodel,whichprovokeerrorsinmechanicalstudiessuchas
staticstrengthandbucklinganalysis,butareadmissibleforfrequencyandthermalstudies.
Multiplevolumebodies.IntermsofFEAmeshing,eachstructureobjectmustsubtendasingle,closedvolume.
However,multiplevolumeobjectscanbecreatedinAutoCAD,forexampleexecutingaBooleanuniononoutof
contactobjects,orbycreatingasolidarray,etc.IftheAutoFEMtetrahedralmodellingstrategyisadopted,such
instancesmustberesolvedintodiscreteobjectsbeforemeshing.
Outofcontactsolids.Sometimes,itisdifficulttodeterminewhethertheadjacentfacesofsolidsareindeed
touching.Thismayresultinmeshgenerationorcalculationerrors.Intheinterestofcleanruns,theusersmust
ensureclearcontactbetweenobjects.
Errorsinthepiecelinearcomplex(PLC)representationofAutoCAD3Dmodels.Theseerrorsmayoccurinthe
caseofverycomplex3Dgeometry,generallydueto3Dmodellingoperations.Sucherrorsmaypreventthecreation
ofatetrahedralmesh,andthe3DCADmodelmustbecorrectedinordertorunanFEA.

3Dmodeldiagnostics(study)
TheStudyDiagnosticscommandisdesignedtohelptheuserfindspuriousorFEAunfitobjectsinastudyobjectgroup.The
commandrunsautomatically,butitisalsoavailableintheStudyTreecontextualmenu.

TheDiagnosticscommandintheSetofobjectsforFEA(left)andStudy(right)contextualmenus
Inallcases,thediagnosticscommandidentifiesthespuriousobjects,whichbecomeavailableinthedropdown"Groupof
thebodies"list,andwhosenamesareavailableintheGeometrylist.
Thefollowingdiagnosticmodesareavailable:

Multiplevolumebodies
TheMultivolumebodiesmodepertainstomultiplevolumeobjects,ifanyshouldbepresent.AMultiplevolumeobjectis
onemadeoftwoormoresolidswhichdonottouch.WhichAutoCADcanoncontrarytreatasingleobject(body),AutoFEM
requiresthatobjectsandvolumes(bodies)areunivocallyassociated.

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Exampleofamultiplevolumebody
TheAutoCADcommandExplodegenerallysufficestoseparatethemultiplevolumesintodiscreetobjects.Inthecasewhere
aBooleanoperationgeneratedamultiplevolumeobject,theAutoCADcommandSOLIDEDIT/BODY/SEPARATEmaybe
moreappropriateifnotrequired.
Insomecases,multiplevolumeobjectsmaybecreatedduringtheresolutionofintersectionsbyAutoFEMitself.Multiple
volumeobjectsmustberesolvedintosinglevolume,discreetobjectusingAutoCADtools.

Exampleofamultiplevolumeobjectengenderedbytheresolutionofanintersection,
aconditionwhichmustberemedied

Noncontactinggroupsofbodies
The"outofcontactbodies"modeaddressesobjectswhichareseparatefromthemodel.Iftheseobjectsarenotadequately
constrainedand/ordonotbearappropriateboundaryconditions,thealgebraicsystemofequationsattheheartofFEAmay
provetobedegenerative,andasolutionmaynotbefound.Therefore,ingeneral,suchobjectsshouldnotbeincludedinthe
Studygroupofobjectsinstaticandbucklinganalysis,thoughtheyareadmissibleinthermalandfrequencyanalysisstudies.

NoncontactingpartsinthePreprocessorwindow

Intersectingbodies
TheIntersectionsofthebodiesmodeidentifiespairsofintersectingobjects,whicharenotallowedinaFEmodelasa
correspondingmeshcannotbecreated.AlthoughAutoCADandotherCADsystemsallowclashingsolids,inFEAanypoint
inspacemustbeassociatedwithasingleobject.Therefore,FEAIncompatiblegeometrysuchasthiswouldadverselyand
unpredictablyaffectthequalityofresults,andisnotallowedbyAutoFEM.ThemodelmustbecorrectedusingAutoCAD
tools.InadditiontoAutoFEM'sintersectionsearchtools,onemayalsouseAutoCAD'sINTERFEREcommand.

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Identifyinganddocumentingpairsofintersectingobjectsinthediagnosticswindow

Contactbetweenbodies
TheShowthecontactsbetweenthebodiesmodeidentifiesallcontactfaces(twoandonlytwoobjectsshareacontact
face),whichareshowninthepreprocessorwindow.Thismodeallowstheusertocheckmodelconnections.Sometimes,
whenmodellinginAutoCAD,invisiblegapsmayoccurbetweenobjects.ThesegapswillbetreatedbyAutoFEMasa
separation,whichwillleadtounreliablecalculationresults.Gapsmayalsobeengenderedbytheresolvingofintersections
makingthistoolthatmuchmoreusefulandnecessary.

Thecommonfacesofcontactingpartsareshowningreen.

Therearenovisiblecontactfaces,themodelrequireschecking.

CheckingthePLCrepresentation
CheckPLCrepresentationchecksthe3DfromaPLCstandpoint.InaccuraciesareshowninthePreprocessorwindow
whilethe"Geometry"windowindicatesthenumberofsuspiciousobjectsfound.Theseerrorsaregenerallyremediedby
adjustingthemeshconstructionparameters,otherwisetheinaccuraciesdocumentedbyAutoFEMmustberemediedatthe
modellevel,inAutoCAD.

Possibleproblemareasarehighlightedonthemodel
NotethattheFEMAMESHcommandcannotberunifanymultiplevolumebodiesarepresentinthemodel.

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Creatingfiniteelementmeshes
ItiscrucialthattheFEAmeshapproximatesmodelgeometryofthestructureveryaccurately.Sometimes,model
modificationsarerequiredtoachieveameshappropriateforstructuralFEA,inwhichcasethemodelmustbeadaptedtothe
purpose.
Moreover,meshgenerationparametersmayalso,onoccasion,hamperthegenerationofacongruentmesh.AutoFEMoffer
varioustools,suchasitsdiagnosticstools,formodelreviewsandproblemareaidentification.

Decreasingthefiniteelementsize
Normally,thesystemofferstoolargesizeofthefiniteelementofmesh.User
shoulddefineacceptablesizeofthefiniteelementusingaspecialslider
(Edgelength)ortypingthevalueinthetextbox.

Increasingthecurvatureforcylindrical3D
models

Parameter"Edgelength"

For3Dmodels,whichhaveintheircompositionroundorcylindrical
geometricalelements,oftenisusefultoincreasetheaccuracyofcurve
elementsrepresentation.

FlagThinwalledstructure
Flag"Thinwalledstructure(regular)"enablesameshingprocedurethatuses
simplifiedqualitycontrolofmeshelements.Ifthe"Meshquality"parameteris
setto"Dis",themeshwillbegeneratedonthebasisoftheinitialPLCmodel
withminimalmodifications(usuallyitlookslikea"regular"meshwithsquare
cells).Suchmeshescontainfewerelementsandmaybeusedtocompute
thinwalledstructures,butalsoincaseswhereareducedsizemeshis
desired.

Parameter"Curvature"

Meshgenerationerrors
Ifmeshgenerationshouldfail,AutoFEMwillthrowanerrormessageandidentifythepointsand/orgeometryareain
question.Theusercanthenresolvetheprobleminthe3Dmodelorexcludethe"bad"object(s)fromthefiniteelementstudy.

Indicatingthelocationofaproblempointonthe3Dmodel

Nodetolerancefor3Dsurfacemodels
Nodalcouplingtoleranceisusercontrolled,veryusefulinthecaseofsurfacemodelsbuiltonwireframes,whichgenerally
exhibitsmallgapsbetweensurfaceedges.

Agapinthemeshmodel

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Removingthegapsbyincreasingthenodecouplingtolerance

Useoftheoption"Stabilizetheunfixedmodel"
WhenanalysinglargeShipConstructormodels,itmaybethatmodelorelementconstraintsproveinadequateandthemodel
oranelementbecomeunbalanced.AutoFEMwillthenstopcalculationsandopenthefollowingdiagnosticmessagedialogs:

Diagnosticmessageofunbalancedsystem

The"Stabilizetheunfixedmodel"toolanditsoptionarefoundintheStudyPropertiesdialog
Often,theoption"Stabilizetheunfixedmodel"helpsfindinadequatelyconstrainedobjectsorsuccessfullyperformthe
calculation.

Whichisthebetterequationsolvingmethod?
Thetwomainmethodsforthesolutionofsystemsofequationsaredirectanditerative.AutoFEMAnalysiswillautomatically
attempttoselectthemostefficientmethodfortheanalysisathand.Ifthenumberofequationsexceedsthemaximumsetin
theProcessorsettings(default100,000),theiterativemethodisusedforsolving.Ifsmaller,thedirectmethodisused.The
usercancontrolthischoicebydefiningselectionparameters,orbyselectingthedesiredmethodjustpriortolaunchingthe
analysis.

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Selectingthesystemofequationsolvingmethodandnumberofequationsthreshold
Generalrecommendationsandcriteriaapplytothechoiceonemethodortheother.
Thefirstcriterionisthepowerofthecomputersystem.TheiterativemethodrequireslessRAMthanthedirectmethod.
Othercriteriaarethequalityofthefiniteelementmeshandthe"thickness"oftheproblem.
ThedirectmethodisbasedontheGaussmethodanditsevolutions,andcarriesoutafullmatrixinversionrequiringlarge
amountsofRAM.CalculationtimeincreasesasN3 ,whereN="number"ofequations.
Usuallythedirectmethodworkswellanditispreferablewhenonehas:
Arelativelysmallequationsystemorapowerfulcomputersystem(x64platform,min8Gbram)allowingtoinvertthe
FEmatrixinRAM(asopposedtousingdiscswapping).Problemswithupto1.52milliondegreesoffreedom
generallyconstitutea'thin"3Dmodel,andaregenerallysolvablebythedirectmethod
manyofthemeshelementsare"stretched"(veryhighaspectratio)
thestudyhascontactrestrictions
Theiterativemethod'smainadvantageovertheiterativemethodisitslowRAMrequirement,whichiscomparabletothe
amountofRAMneededfortheinitialstiffnessmatrixlocation.Therefore,evenrelativelyweakcomputersystem(suchasan
officecomputerwithWindows32bitoperationalsystemandnomorethan3GBRAM)maysolvesystemsofupto1million
equationsorso.Ontheotherhand,performancedependsoncertainpropertiesoftetrahedralfiniteelements,suchasaspect
ratio.And,themoresuchelementsthereare,themoresolutiontimewillincrease,too.Then,theiterativemethodusually
workswellandispreferredwhenonehas:
agoodqualitymeshwhereelementaspectratioislessthan84andonlyfewstretchedelements.
"thick"model,meaningthatthereareseverallayersoftetrahedralelementspersection.
Thestudyhasnocontactrestrictions.

A"thick"finiteelementmodel:thereareseverallayersofthefiniteelements.TheIterativemethodworksbetterthan
thedirectmethodformediumandlargemodels.

A"thin"finiteelementmodel.Themeshconsistsofoneortwolayersoffiniteelements.Thedirectmethodworksbetter
thantheiterativemethod,especiallyifmeshqualityispoor(manyhighaspectratiomeshelements).

WorkingwithShipConstructorPipes
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SomeShipConstructorparts,suchaspipes,donothavecorresponding3DsolidgeometryintheirShipConstructordrawing.
TheuserwillthenexportsuchpartstoDWGfile,andthensimulatethemasordinaryafterwhichAutoFEMwilltreatthemas
genericAutoCADobjects.

ShipContstructorPipesdonothave3DsolidgeometryandcannotbeuseddirectlyinFEA

FEAcarriedoutonexportedShipConstructorPipeparts
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AutodeskandAutoCADareregisteredtrademarksofAutodesk,Inc.AutoFEMSoftwareLLPisnotaffiliatedwith,endorsedby,sponsoredby,orsupportedbyAutodesk,Inc.

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