Module 5: Axisymmetric Buckling of a Thin Walled Sphere

Table of Contents Problem Description Theory Geometry Preprocessor Element Type Real Constants and Material Properties Meshing Solution Static Solution Eigenvalue Mode Shape General Postprocessor Results Validation

Page Number 2 2 4 7 7 8 9 11 11 14 15 16 18 18

UCONN ANSYS Module 5: Axisymmetric Buckling of a Thin Walled Sphere

Page 1

Problem Description: 9) External Pressure buckling of a thin walled sphere

t P r
Nomenclature: r = 2m P = 1 Pa t = .02m E= 210* = 0.3

Sphere Radius External Pressure Sphere Thickness Youngs Modulus Poissons Ratio

This module takes a sphere and applies an external pressure field until buckling occurs. Taking advantage of symmetry, this module will incorporate 2D PLANE elements along an axial cross section swept across half the sphere. Buckling is inherently non-linear, but we will linearize the problem through the Eigenvalue method. This solution is an overestimate of the theoretical value since it does not consider imperfections and nonlinearities in the structure such as warping and manufacturing defects. This module will be compared against analytical results in an elasticity textbook. Theory When a circular shell is under uniform axial compression, axisymmetric buckling is often the lowest buckling mode. At the start of buckling, the strain energy is increased by midsurface strain in the circumferential direction, bending, and axial compression. At this critical buckling load, the increase in strain energy is equal to the work done by the uniform pressure owing to axial straining and bending as the shell deflects. Thus: (9.1) Through a series of derivations using Hamiltons Principle we find that the critical pressure is:

= 25.419556 MPa

(9.2)

We can also find the length of half-sine waves into which the shell buckles:

= 0.346m

(9.3)

UCONN ANSYS Module 5: Axisymmetric Buckling of a Thin Walled Sphere

Page 2

This can help us calculate the number of half-sine waves in our figure, since we modeled half of a sphere we use simply pi multiplied by the radius:

= 18.36
Geometry Opening ANSYS Mechanical APDL 1. On your Windows 7 Desktop click the Start button 2. Under Search Programs and Files type ANSYS 3. Click on Mechanical APDL (ANSYS) to start ANSYS. This step may take time.

(9.4)

Preferences 1. Go to Main Menu -> Preferences 2. Check the box that says Structural 3. Click OK

1 2

3
UCONN ANSYS Module 5: Axisymmetric Buckling of a Thin Walled Sphere Page 3

Keypoints 1. Go to Main Menu -> Preprocessor -> Modeling -> Create -> Keypoints -> On Working Plane 2. Click Global Cartesian 3. In the box underneath, write: 0,2.02,0 4. Click Apply 5. Repeat Steps 3 and 4 for the following points in order: 2.02,0,0 0,-2.02,0 0,2,0 2,0,0 0,-2,0 6. Click Ok

Arc 1. Go to Main Menu -> Preprocessor -> Modeling -> Create -> Lines -> Arcs -> By End KPs & Rad 2. Select Pick 3. Select List of Items 4. Type 1,3 for the end points. 5. Click Ok 6. Window will pop up again, Type 2 for the midpoint 7. Click OK 8. Under RAD Radius of the arc type 2.02 for the outer radius 9. Click OK 10. Repeat Steps 1 through 9 for key points 4,6 and 5 with an inner radius of 2

8 9
UCONN ANSYS Module 5: Axisymmetric Buckling of a Thin Walled Sphere

4
5

Page 4

Line 1. Go to Main Menu -> Preprocessor -> Modeling -> Create -> Lines -> Lines -> Straight Line 2. Select Pick 3. Select List of Items 4. Type 1,4 for points previously generated. 5. Click Apply 6. Type 3,6 7. Click OK Area 1. 2. 3. 4. Go to Utility Menu -> Plot -> Lines Go to Utility Menu -> Plot Controls -> Numbering Check LINE Line numbers to ON Click OK

3 4 7 5

4
5. Go to Main Menu -> Preprocessor -> Modeling -> Create -> Areas -> Arbitrary -> By Lines 6. Select Pick 7. Select List of Items 8. Type 4,1,3,2 for lines previously generated. 9. Click OK

8 9
Page 5

UCONN ANSYS Module 5: Axisymmetric Buckling of a Thin Walled Sphere

The resulting graphic should be as shown:

Saving Geometry It would be convenient to save the geometry so that it does not have to be made again from scratch. 1. Go to File -> Save As 2. Under Save Database to pick a name for the Geometry. For this tutorial, we will name the file Buckling simply supported 3. Under Directories: pick the Folder you would like to save the .db file to. 4. Click OK

4 3

UCONN ANSYS Module 5: Axisymmetric Buckling of a Thin Walled Sphere

Page 6

Preprocessor Element Type 1. 2. 3. 4. Go to Main Menu -> Preprocessor -> Element Type -> Add/Edit/Delete Click Add Click Solid -> Axi-har 4node 25 Click OK

3 4
PLANE25 is used for 2-D modeling of axisymmetric structures with nonaxisymmetric loading. Examples of such loading are bending, shear, or torsion. The element is defined by four nodes having three degrees of freedom per node: translations in the nodal x, y, and z direction. For cross section nodal coordinates, these directions correspond to the radial, axial, and tangential directions, respectively. Unless otherwise stated, the model must be defined in the Z = 0.0 plane. The global Cartesian Y-axis is assumed to be the axis of symmetry. Further, the model is developed only in the +X quadrants. Hence, the radial direction is in the +X direction.

UCONN ANSYS Module 5: Axisymmetric Buckling of a Thin Walled Sphere

Page 7

Real Constants and Material Properties We will specify Youngs Modulus and Poissons Ratio 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Go to Main Menu -> Preprocessor -> Material Props -> Material Models Go to Material Model Number 1 -> Structural -> Linear -> Elastic -> Isotropic Input 21E10 for the Youngs Modulus (Steel) in EX. Input 0.3 for Poissons Ratio in PRXY Click OK of Define Material Model Behavior window

6 2
5
Meshing 1. Go to Main Menu -> Preprocessor -> Meshing -> Mesh Tool 2. Go to Size Controls: -> Global -> Set 3. Under SIZE Element edge length put .02/4. This will create a mesh of a total 4 elements through the thickness. 4. Click OK 5. Check Mapped 6. Click Mesh 7. Click Pick All

3 4

3 4 5 6 7
Page 8

UCONN ANSYS Module 5: Axisymmetric Buckling of a Thin Walled Sphere

8. Go to Utility Menu -> Plot -> Nodes 9. Go to Utility Menu -> Plot Controls -> Numbering 10. Check NODE Node Numbers to ON 11. Click OK

10

11

Solution There are two types of solution menus that ANSYS APDL provides; the Abridged solution menu and the Unabridged solution menu. Before specifying the loads on the beam, it is crucial to be in the correct menu. Go to Main Menu -> Solution -> Unabridged menu This is shown as the last tab in the Solution menu. If this reads Abridged menu you are already in the Unabridged solution menu.

UCONN ANSYS Module 5: Axisymmetric Buckling of a Thin Walled Sphere

Page 9

Static Solution Analysis Type 1. Go to Main Menu -> Solution -> Analysis Type -> New Analysis 2. Choose Static 3. Click OK

3
4. Go to Main Menu -> Solution -> Analysis Type ->Analysis Options 5. Under [SSTIF][PSTRES] Stress stiffness or prestress select Prestress ON 6. Click OK Prestress is the only change necessary in this window and it is a crucial step in obtaining a final result for eigenvalue buckling.

5 6

UCONN ANSYS Module 5: Axisymmetric Buckling of a Thin Walled Sphere

Page 10

Displacement 1. Go to Main Menu -> Solution -> Define Loads ->Apply ->Structural -> Displacement -> On Nodes 2. Select Pick -> Single -> Type 641 This selects the node in the middle of sphere on the inside radius 3. Click OK 4. Under Lab2 DOFs to be constrained select UY and UZ 5. Under VALUE Displacement value enter 0 6. Click OK

4 5

2 3

6
With the node numbers turned off the resulting graphic should be as shown:

UCONN ANSYS Module 5: Axisymmetric Buckling of a Thin Walled Sphere

Page 11

Loads 1. Go to Main Menu -> Solution -> Define Loads ->Apply ->Structural -> Force/Moment -> On Nodes 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Select Pick -> Single -> Type 641 Click OK Under Direction of force/mom select FX Under VALUE Force/moment value enter -1 Click OK

4 5 6 3
USEFUL TIP: The force value is only a magnitude of 1 because eigenvalues are calculated by a factor of the load applied, so having a force of 1 will not skew the eigenvalue answer. 7. Go to Main Menu -> Solution -> Define Loads ->Apply->Structural ->Pressure -> On Lines 8. Select Pick -> Single -> Type 1 This selects the outside line to apply the external pressure 9. Click OK 10. Under VALUE Load PRES value enter 1 11. Click OK 12. Go to Main Menu -> Solution -> Solve -> Current LS 13. Go to Main Menu -> Finish

10
11

UCONN ANSYS Module 5: Axisymmetric Buckling of a Thin Walled Sphere

Page 12

Eigenvalue 1. Go to Main Menu -> Solution -> Analysis Type -> New Analysis 2. Choose Eigen Buckling

2 3
3. Click OKGo to Main Menu -> Solution -> Analysis Type ->Analysis Options 4. Under NMODE No. of modes to extract input 4 5. Click OK

5 6 6 Go to Main Menu -> Solution -> Solve -> Current LS

6. 7. Go to Main Menu -> Finish

UCONN ANSYS Module 5: Axisymmetric Buckling of a Thin Walled Sphere

Page 13

Mode Shape 1. Go to Main Menu -> Solution -> Analysis Type -> ExpansionPass 2. Click [EXPASS] Expansion pass to ensure this is turned on 3. Click OK

3
4. Go to Main Menu -> Solution -> Load Step Opts -> ExpansionPass -> Single Expand -> Expand Modes 5. Under NMODE No. of modes to expand input 4 6. Click OK

6
7. Go to Main Menu -> Solution -> Solve -> Current LS 8. Go to Main Menu -> Finish

UCONN ANSYS Module 5: Axisymmetric Buckling of a Thin Walled Sphere

Page 14

General Postprocessor Critical Pressure Now that ANSYS has solved these three analysis lets extract the lowest eigenvalue. This represents the lowest force to cause buckling. Go to Main Menu -> General Postproc -> List Results -> Detailed Summary

Results for Critical Pressure: P= 24.5 MPa

Mode Shape To view the deformed shape of the buckled beam vs. original beam: 1. Go to Main Menu -> General Postproc -> Read Results -> First Set 2. Go to Main Menu -> General Postproc -> Plot Results -> Deformed Shape 3. Under KUND Items to be plotted select Def + undeformed 4. Click OK

3
4

UCONN ANSYS Module 5: Axisymmetric Buckling of a Thin Walled Sphere

Page 15

The graphics area should look as below:

Results

The percent error (%E) in our model can be defined as: ( ) = 3.618%

This shows that there is a very small error with 4 elements through the thickness. As you can see in the figure there are 18 half-sine waves as well as predicted in the theory section.

UCONN ANSYS Module 5: Axisymmetric Buckling of a Thin Walled Sphere

Page 16

Validation Theoretical Critical Buckling Load Percent Error 25419556 0% 7935 Elements 24497000 3.629% 5080 Elements 24500000 3.618% 318 Elements 24618000 3.1533%

This table provides the critical buckling pressure and corresponding error from the theory, from three different ANSYS results; one with 1 element, 4 elements and 5 elements through the thickness. This is to prove mesh independence, showing with increasing mesh size, the answer approaches a constant value. The results here show that even using a coarse mesh of 1 element through the thickness, the error is minimal in comparison with the theoretical value. This theoretical value uses approximations to linearize a problem which is inherently nonlinear, this means this is not an exact answer. As mesh is refined it converges to a more accurate answer. The eigenvalue buckling method over-estimates the real life buckling load. This is due to the assumption of a perfect structure, disregarding flaws and nonlinearities in the material. There is no such thing as a perfect structure so the structure will never actually reach the eigenvalue load that is calculated. Thus, it is important to consider conservative factors of safety into your design for safe measure.

UCONN ANSYS Module 5: Axisymmetric Buckling of a Thin Walled Sphere

Page 17