9.

0 DYNAMIC ANALYSIS

Introduction
When a structure has a loading which varies with time, it is reasonable to assume its response
will also vary with time. In such cases, a dynamic analysis may have to be performed which
reflects both the varying load and response. If however, the frequency of loading is low
compared with the natural frequency of the structure, then the response given by a static
analysis under the instantaneous load may suffice. This assumption is normally applied when
the frequency is less than one third of the lowest natural frequency.

If the applied load varies rapidly, then a variety of solution technique may be employed which
take into account inertial effects due to mass and damping effects.

9.1 TYPES OF ANALYSIS

The most general dynamic analysis will solve the following equation, which gives the time
dependant response of every node point in the structure by including inertial forces and
damping forcesin the equation. Inertial forces are the product of mass times acceleration and
damping forces are the product of damping coefficient times velocity. The general equation of
motion is therefore,

&&}+ [C ]{D&}+ [ K ]{D}={F }

[ M ]{D
&&} the nodal acceleration vector,
where, in matrix form, [M] represents the structural mass, {D
&} the node velocity vector, [K] the structure stiffness
[C] the structural damping matrix, { D
matrix, {D} the node displacement vector and {F} is the applied time varying nodal load
vector. This equation is a set of differential equations in matrix form for the dynamic response
of a structure modelled with a finite number of degrees of freedom.

However, the solution to this set of equations taken incrementally in time may involve
thousands of static solutions to generate a complete time history response for the structure.
This may be impracticable for any significant length of time cycle. Therefore it is of
importance to examine the vibrational response to certain specific inputs.

The three most common types of analyses are:

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 MODAL Analysis
HARMONIC FREQUENCY RESPONSE Analysis
TRANSIENT DYNAMIC Analysis

9.1.1 Modal Analysis

In many engineering applications, the natural frequencies of vibration are of interest. This is
probably the most common type of dynamic analysis and is referred to as an eigenvalue
analysis. In addition to the frequencies, the mode shapes of vibration which arise at the
natural frequencies are also of interest. These are the undamped free vibration response of
the structure caused by an initial disturbance from the static equilibrium position. This solution
derives from the general equation by zeroing the damping and applied force terms. Thereafter,
it is assumed that each node is subjected to a sinusoidal functions of the peak amplitude for
that node. If the displacement vector {D} has the form

{D} = {A}sin( t )
where A is the amplitude of displacement for every node and is the frequency of vibration.
Therefore, the velocity vector is
{D&} = {A} cos( t )
and the acceleration is
&&} = {A} 2 sin( t )
{D
Substituting these into the general equation of motion yields the eigenvalue equation,

([ K ] [ M ]){A} = {0}
where the eigenvalue, , is equal to 2, and {A} is the eigenvector associated with each value
of . The total number of eigenvalues or natural frequencies is equal to the total number of
degrees of freedom in the model. Each eigenvalue or frequency has a corresponding
eigenvector or mode shape. Since each of the eigenvectors cannot be null vectors, the
equation which must be solved is
([ K ] [ M ]) = {0}
The mode shapes are also of interest to the engineer. These are normalised to the maximum
displacement of the structure. The input conditions which initiate the vibration control the
amplitudes of vibration in any problem.

It is worth noting that we are normally only interested in the first few eigenvalues of the
model. Indeed, since the finite element model is an approximation of the structure, then the
higher eigenvalues and vectors are inaccurate. The theoretical solution implies that the
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structure will vibrates in any mode shape indefinitely. However, since there is always some
damping present in any structure, the vibrations eventually decay.

9.1.2 Frequency Response Analysis

This type of analysis is of interest when the steady state response of a structure to a harmonic
force input at a given frequency is required. For example, a support arrangement for a pump
or computer fan mounting, and so on. The response may be needed for a range of frequencies.
In a frequency response analysis, the frequency of the response to a harmonic input is also
harmonic and occurs at the same frequency. The forcing function can be defined as:

{F} = {Fo }e i t

where Fo is the peak force amplitude and is the harmonic frequency.

The nodal displacement therefore has the form

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 {D} = {Do }e i t
with velocity

{D&} = {Do }i e i t

and acceleration

&&} = {D } 2 e i t
{D o

Substituting in the general equation of motion results in

( 2 [ M ] + i [C ] + [ K ]){Do } = {Fo }

which shows that the displacement, {Do} is clearly a function of frequency, damping and force
amplitudes. Solving this over a discrete range of frequency inputs determines the vibration
frequency response.

The displacements calculated here define the deformed structural shape. This is not the same
shape as the mode shape unless the frequency coincides with the natural frequency.
In frequency response analysis, damping can often be ignored since most structures are lightly
damped and this simplifies the solution. This allows all frequencies except natural frequencies
to be calculated. If a natural frequency is used as an input, and no damping is present, the

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solution fails due to numerical problems. However, this is not a problem since near natural
frequencies are normally adequate.

9.2.2 Transient Response Analysis

If the input function is not harmonic but an arbitrary time dependant function, then a transient
response analysis must be performed. In this, the general equation of motion is solved but, in
this case, the time scale of loading is such that damping or inertia effects are considered
important. This type of analysis is used to determine the time-varying displacements, strains
and stresses in a structure as it responds to a transient load.

There are two basic approaches to transient analysis. The first involves solving the systems of
equations by direct integration which involves the whole systems of equations and requires
many time steps with a complete solution in each step. This can become a large computing
task for moderate sized problems.

The second approach is known as modal superposition which assumes that the response of
the structure can be adequately represented by the lower natural frequencies of the structure.
The complete response therefore, is the summation of the correct fractions of the low
frequency mode shapes. Mathematically, this involves a transformation of the equation from
nodal displacement co-ordinates into a set of modal co-ordinates. This results in much fewer
equations, but results in an approximate solution being obtained. However, this has proven to
be sufficiently adequate for most structural vibration problems.

9.2 MASTER DEGREES OF FREEDOM

When a large set of equations are being considered, as employed in a dynamic analysis, then
an approach known as static condensation or Guyan Reduction is used in most commercial
programs. In this, the whole geometric model is developed, however, a set of Master Degrees
of Freedom, is selected from the total number of degrees of freedom for the model on the
basis that the master set is more dominant in representing the structural response. This implies
that these master degrees of freedom (MDOF) will control the vibration and the remaining
degrees of freedom become slavesbecause they follow the pattern defined by the response of
the master nodes.

The mathematical treatment is not covered here, however some features of the approach must
be understood. Some programs expect the user to define the masters, whilst others
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automatically select the set. Some codes allow a mixture of the two approaches. Once the
master set is identified, the programs condensesthe slave DOF from the full set of equations.
This is done by discarding the mass associated with the slave set and setting up displacement
relations between the masters and slave sets which become a function only of the stiffness
components relating the DOF. This implies a reduced set of equations involving only the
master DOF which are solved using one of a number of numerical procedures. Thereafter,
once the displacements are solved for the master DOF, back substitution takes place for the
slave DOF and a good representation of the deformed geometry is obtained.

Selecting Masters

DOF which describe the lower modes are usually selected as masters, since low frequency
response is normally where most vibration problems occur. In addition, since mass effects are
ignored for the slave set of nodes, the master DOF must be those areas with a larger fraction
of the structural mass. When automatic selection is used, the user defines the total number of
MDOF to be selected. This parameter is continually increased and the run repeated until
sufficient accuracy is reached in the solution between variations of the total number. Masters
should be well distributed throughout the structure and not clustered since they are associated
with mass. An example of the selection of MDOF for a cantilever thin plate.

In the above case, it is useful to think of the masters as those nodes which attract the mass of
the surrounding material. Since there are six DOF available (3 translational and three
rotational DOF) then point mass relates to translational DOF and inertia relates to rotational
DOF. If it is considered that rotary inertia effects have less effect than mass effects, the
rotational DOF can be ignored. If the stiffness for in-plane translation is much higher than
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lateral translational DOF, then only out of plane DOF need be considered. This implies that the
number of equations reduces by five. Further selection of masters based on the uniformity of
the mesh would result in the master selection shown above. A fixed edge as shown must not
have those DOF removed but must remain fully fixed.

MODAL ANALYSIS CASE STUDY - Simple Tapered Cantilevered Beam

A simple tapered cantilever beam is analysed to evaluate the first five eigenvalues and mode
shapes. The steel beam is 250mm long, 2.5mm thick and its width varies from 50mm to 44mm
at the free end. Several modelling methods are used together with varying mesh types and
densities.

Model Type 1 - Beam Elements

The first model type contains both five and twenty element configurations. The coarseness of
the mesh is apparent for Mesh 1a.

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Model Type 2 - Plate Elements

Mesh 2a 2x5 Element Plate Model Mesh 2b 4x10 Element Plate Model
Results for the 2x5 plate model are within 2% of the beam model except for torsional mode 3
which increases by 8%. The 4x10 model produces a further 1% increase and smoother plots.
This study shows that it is possible to obtain reasonably accurate results for the natural
frequency and mode shape for this structure using relatively coarse models using wither beam
or plate models. This is also true for finding eigenvalues and mode shapes for most structures.
Coarse models usually provide good values for the lower eigenvalues which are the ones of
most importance.

9.3 MODAL ANALYSIS IN ANSYS

Modal analysis in Ansys is a simple extension of linear analysis. Firstly, the finite element
model is created as normal within PREP7 and saved prior to entering the solution phase
(/SOLUTION). Thereafter, the analysis type is selected (REDUCED or SUBSPACE) by using the
MODOPT command. If a reduced analysis is chosen, then the master DOF must be selected
using M and TOTAL commands. Thereafter the solution is executed using SOLVE.

In both cases, once the solution has completed (/FINI), the solution must be re-entered
(/SOLUTION) and the expansion pass started (EXPASS,ON) afterwhich the number of modes to
be expanded must be entered (MXPAND, number). Then expansion is executed using the
SOLVE command.

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Post-processing is performed in the usual manner however each frequency is stored using the
SET command.

Ent er PREP7
MODOPT,REDUCED MODOPT,SUBSPACE,5

Build Model Select Mast ers

Specifying 5 modes
M,node,dof,0
Exit PREP7 eg. M,234,ALL,0
No mast er select ion
required using t his
Ent er Solut ion Use Aut oselect
TOTAL,number t echnique
/SOLUTION

Choose whet her SOLVE SOLVE

full subspace or
reduced analysis FINISH
/SOLUTION
In bot h cases, t he mode EXPASS,ON
shapes must be expanded MEXPAND,number
FINISH

CASE STUDY - Simple Turbine Blade

The final example is that of a turbine blade which is analysed using both the reduced analysis
and the full subspace analysis. The turbine blade model shown is somewhat simplified with the
root shown as a solid block and the blade represented as a thin shell. Compatible elements are
used. The solid section is formed using SOLID73 elements which have both translational and
rotational degrees of freedom at each node. These elements are compatible with SHELL 63
elements used in the curved portion of the blade.

The geometry is imported from an external source, in this case PATRAN, and comprises of a
list of nodal points and the element connectivity. In modal analysis, the model creation is
performed in a similar manner to that used for linear analysis. Full listings for both the reduced
and full analyses are found on the class webpages using filenames BLADE1.INP and
BLADE2.INP.

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1 1

Y Y

Z X Z X

MODE 1 :: FREQ=123.282 MODE 2 :: FREQ=242.192

1 1

Y Y
Z X Z X

MODE 3 :: FREQ=466.016 MODE 4 :: FREQ=727.02

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1 Mode Reduced Full
/Method Subspace
1 123.28 111.39
2 242.19 222.35
3 466.02 428.68
4 727.02 661.01
5 809.533 751.77
The above table shows the differences in
eigenvalue obtained from two of the available
Y
Z X modal analysis options, reduced and full
subspace methods. The full method gives
more accurate answers, however, takes
MODE 5 :: FREQ=809.533 somewhat longer to solve. The reduced
method provides acceptable results for the
first two modes yielding results within 10% of the full solution. Increasing the total (TOTAL
command) number of master degrees of freedom will produce a more accurate result.

Animation of Displaced Shapes

Since mode shapes represent the dynamic behaviour of a structure at a given frequency, it is
useful to view these in animation form. ANSYS provides a pseudo-dynamic display by storing
a number of frames as segments in memory and quickly redisplays these to provide dynamic
motion of the deformed shape. Indeed, variations contours can also be displayed using this
feature.

A typical command sequence to produce animations is shown as follows

/SEG,MULTI
C*** Set up animation frames to repeat five times on
displaced shape
ANMAC,5,1,1,1
/SEG,OFF
C*** Execute animation
ANIM

Using this sequence will generate a dynamic display.

NOTE: With the advent of ANSYS 5.5 and later by using the MENU picks, animation can be
viewed and saved as AVI files. (Plot Controls Animate, then choose item from list.)

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File BLADE1.INP (c) D H Nash
/PREP7
C*** PREP7 INPUT PRODUCED BY "PATANS" VERSION 2.2B-1 (c) DHNash 15 Feb 1996
/TITLE,Modal Analysis of a Simple Turbine Blade - Full Analysis
R,1,2.5E-3
C*** NODAL COORDINATE DEFINITION
N , 1 , 0.4340000E-02 , 0.0000000E+00 , -0.3059246E-01
...
D , 228,UX , 0.0000000E+00,, 228, 1,UY ,UZ ,ROTX
C*** End of model created in PATRAN
FINI
c*** Enter solution step to evaluate eigenvalues
/SOLUTION
ANTYPE,MODAL
C*** Choose reduced analysis type
MODOPT,REDUC
C*** Define 2 masters by hand at outer extremities of blade
M,365,ALL
M,257,ALL
C*** Let ANSYS pick a further 200 MDOF
TOTAL,200
SOLVE
FINI
C*** Now re-enter and expand the mode shapes
/SOLUTION
C*** Switch on the expansion pass
EXPASS,ON
C*** Expass first five mode shapes
MXPAND,5
SOLVE
FINI
C*** Post process and look at displaced shapes
/POST1
C*** Pick first analysis/first mode shape
SET,1,1
/VIEW,1,1,1,1
PLDISP,2
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File BLADE2.INP (c) D H Nash
C*** use model creation as previous
...
...
C*** End of model created in PATRAN
SAVE
FINI
c*** Enter solution step to evaluate eigenvalues
/SOLUTION
ANTYPE,MODAL
C*** Choose reduced analysis type and work on 1st five modes
MODOPT,SUBSPACE,5
SAVE
SOLVE
FINI
C*** Now re-enter and expand the mode shapes
/SOLUTION
C*** Switch on the expansion pass
EXPASS,ON
C*** Expass first five mode shapes
MXPAND,5
SOLVE
FINI
C*** Post process and look at displaced shapes
/POST1
C*** Pick first analysis/first mode shape
SET,1,1
/VIEW,1,1,1,1
PLDISP,2
FINI

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