CEP Short Term Course on “Finite Elements in Analysis and Design Using ANSYS”, Dr.J.M.

Mallikarjuna,
Department of Mechanical Engineering; Indian Institute of Technology Madras

2D Static Analysis of a Book Shelf Bracket

Problem: Consider a steel corner bracket (E = 29x106 Ib/in2, ν = 0.3) used to support book
shelves as shown in Figure below along with the dimensions. The bracket is loaded uniformly
along its top surface and it is fixed along its left edge. Under the given loading and the
constraints, plot the deformed shape; also determine the principal stresses and the von-mises
stresses in the bracket. Thickness of the bracket is 0.125”. Solve the problem using ANSYS.

GUI Solution:
1. Starting:
Click → start → ANSYS → ANSYS product launcher:
Launch – ANSYS Multiphysics
File management → browse the directory for saving and retrieving the files.
Click → run

2. Preferences → tick → structural → select h-method → ok

3. Title:
Utility menu → File → Change title → “Bracket” → ok.
Utility menu → plot → replot

4. Elements:
Main menu → Preprocessor → element type → add → add → structural → solid → quad
8node → ok → options → select K3 → plane stress witk t/k → ok → close.

5. Real Constants:
Main menu → Preprocessor → real constant → add → add → ok → enter the thickness as
0.125.

6. Material Properties:
Main menu → Preprocessor → material prop → material models → structural → linear →
elastic → isotropic → enter EX = 29e06 & NUXY = 0.3→ ok

1
CEP Short Term Course on “Finite Elements in Analysis and Design Using ANSYS”, Dr.J.M.Mallikarjuna,
Department of Mechanical Engineering; Indian Institute of Technology Madras

7. Modeling:
(a) Main menu → Preprocessor → Modeling → create → areas → rectangle → by 2 corners
→ enter 0,0,11,-2 → ok.
(b) Main menu → Preprocessor → Modeling → create → areas → circle → solid circle →
enter 11,-1,1 → ok
(c) Main menu → Preprocessor → Modeling → create → areas → circle → partial annulus
→ enter 0,-2,2,0,2,-90 → ok
(d) Main menu → Preprocessor → Modeling → operate → Boolean → add → areas → pick
all → ok
(e) Main menu → Preprocessor → Modeling → create → line fillet → select horizontal line
& circular line → ok → enter fillet radius as 0.5 → ok
(f) Main menu → Preprocessor → Modeling → create → area → arbitrary → by lines →
select three lines in the corner → ok
(g) Main menu → Preprocessor → Modeling → operate → Boolean → add → areas → pick
all → ok
(h) Main menu → Preprocessor → Modeling → create → areas → circle → solid circle →
enter 11,-1,0.25 → ok
(i) Main menu → Preprocessor → Modeling → operate → Boolean → subtract → areas →
pick base area → ok → pick subtracting area → ok
(j) Main menu → Preprocessor → Meshing → size cntrl → manual size → global → size
→ enter SIZE as 0.25 → ok
(k) Main menu → Preprocessor → Meshing → mesh tool → mesh → areas → pick all →
ok.

8. Boundary conditions and Loads :

(a) Utility menu → select → entities → nodes → by location → x-cord → enter min,max
as 0 → apply → ok
(b) Utility menu → plot → nodes
(c) Main menu → solution → define loads → apply → structural → displacement → on
nodes → pick all → select all DOF → ok
(d) Utility menu → select → everything
(e) Utility menu → plot → multiplot
(f) Main menu → solution → define loads → apply → structural → pressure → on lines →
select by cursor top horizontal line → ok → enter pres = 10 → ok

9. Solution:
Main menu → Solution → solve → current LS

10. Post Processing:

(a) Gen. post processor → plot results → contour plots → Nodal solu → stress → von
mises → ok
Similarly for principal stresses
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