STATIC STRUCTURAL – ANSYS HANDS-ON

Problem Specification – STATIC STRUCTURAL problem

Consider the beam in the figure below.  It is clamped on the left side and has a point
force of 8kN acting downward on the right end of the beam. The beam has a length
of 4 meters, width of 0.346 meters and height of 0.346 meters (cross-section is a
square). Additionally, the beam is composed of a material which has a Young's
Modulus of 2.8x10^10 Pa. Using ANSYS, calculate the following:

1. Deformation of the beam

2. Maximum bending stress along the beam
3. Bending moment along the beam

Author: John Singleton, Cornell University

Problem Specification
1. Pre-Analysis & Start-Up
2. Geometry
3. Mesh
4. Physics Setup
5. Numerical Solution
6. Numerical Results
7. Verification & Validation
Exercises
Comments
 Pre-Analysis
Handout
Powerpoint slides used in the following videos can be downloaded here. 

What's Under the ANSYS Blackbox?

To understand the framework of what's under the ANSYS blackbox, go through the
videos in the “What’s Under the Blackbox” section of our free online course on
ANSYS-based simulations. Registration is required to access this course. We'll be
using this framework in this tutorial. 

THEORY AND SOLID MECHANICS BACKGROUND/ HOW ANSYS SOLVES THIS PROBLEM

Mathematical Model – VIDEO exists

Euler-Bernoulli Beam Theory - VIDEO exists
Strains and Stresses - VIDEO exists
Potential Energy - VIDEO exists
Potential Energy Minimization - VIDEO exists
Discretization - VIDEO exists
Interpolation - VIDEO exists
Algebraic Equations Derivation - VIDEO exists
Hand Calculations - VIDEO exists
All videos are downloaded and saved in D drive – in “ANSYS PRACTICE”
folder

Check Your Understanding

One or more of the following statements is/are true. Select which statements
are true.

 3D Elasticity theory makes the assumption that plane sections remain plane whereas the
Euler-Bernoulli beam theory doesn’t make this assumption.
 In Euler-Bernoulli beam theory, the Poisson's ratio is assumed to be zero.
 If we have 4 nodes instead of 3, ANSYS will need to determine 8 parameters (4 y-
displacements and 4 rotations) either from the essential boundary conditions or by solving a set
of algebraic equations. 
 If we have 4 nodes instead of 3, the number of algebraic equations that ANSYS will need
to solve simultaneously will be 5.
 We have to determine the y-displacement of the midline at locations between the nodes
using interpolation. This interpolation is given by a second-order polynomial.
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Geometry
The following videos use the legacy geometry engine, DesignModeler. Please
see this page of the EdX course for updated instructions using the new geometry
engine, SpaceClaim.

Sketch the Midline – VIDEO exists

Specify Moment of Inertia – VIDEO exists

Check Your Understanding

Select the correct option below.
Consider the case where we replace our square cross-section in ANSYS with a
different cross-section that has a lower cross-sectional area but the same moment of
inertia. How is the total potential energy of the beam affected?
It:

1. Decreases
2. Stays the same 
3. Increases

 
Go to Step 3: Mesh

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