The objective of this project was to produce a document of using Mechanica Structure

in an optimisation study. A pressure vessel is chosen as an example for this

optimisation study. The reference pressure vessel is attached in the Appendix. The
real pressure vessel had too many detailed features which we have excluded in this
study due to the complexity of creating geometry and performing analysis. However
the model we created is sufficiently complex for this study.

We have prepared a step-by-step instruction set for modelling and analysing a simple
optimisation study. In the instructions, all the commands are bold and listed in step
form. It is possible to finish this study by just entering the bold commands or by
selecting them; however, it is important to read through all the instructions and
explanations so that you understand the whole process. A section titled GETTING
STARTED consists of instructions on how to run Mechanica for a new user together
with some useful hints.

The whole process is divided into four parts:

(1) CREATING GEOMETRY - A quarter of a pressure vessel (including the saddle)
was created which was sufficient to perform this study. The generation of the model
was done by creating points, connecting these points to form curves and extruding and
revolving these curves to form the body. Many basic commands are introduced to the
user in this section.