Course  Modul…  Freque…  Bolted …

Bolted Nozzle Flange FAQ

To view Bolted Nozzle Flange HW Frequently Asked Questions, navigate to: Bolted
Nozzle Flange HW

Below, you can find some frequently asked questions for Module 3. Before reading
through the FAQs, ensure that you have followed the steps outlined in the tutorial
videos and that you are running the course with the recommended ANSYS version
19.2. For any questions not addressed in the FAQs below, please post in the discussion
boards. As the course progresses, the FAQ pages will be updated.

Why does my force convergence plot differ from that of the video?
The following are comments from Andy from SpaceX and Sean from ANSYS:
Andy: It could be that the mesh I performed is slightly different than the students'. If some of
my elements were skewed more or less, that could affect convergence. Or it could be due to
different ANSYS versions being used - where convergence schemes could slightly vary.
Sean: Andy's comments are correct. Just change the mesh slightly and convergence plots will
differ. Typically the mesh software will create the same mesh on the same version and O/S.
But each point release can have changes to the code, and numerical roundoff differences on
machines running more cores versus fewer. Linux vs. Windows can also affect the resulting
mesh and solution. Now, the related effect here is that many parameters are based off the
mesh size. For example, the contact stiffness and penetration use the underlying mesh size
to compute their values. So, these effects can compound and it would be difficult to know if it
is the stiffness of the element, or the parameters that were changed based on element size. 
 
 
What is a regeneration channel?

Regeneration channels are used to cool the nozzle. They are pipes through which fuel is
injected. The fuel is then overheated due to the nozzle temperature and becomes gas at a
high pressure. In our model, this pressure is modeled as an expanding load. After that, the
overheated fuel is transferred to a gas turbine and injected back into the combustion
chamber.
 
 
What is meant by tabular loading?

The following are comments from Andy from SpaceX and Sean from ANSYS:
"Tabular" is the easiest way in ANSYS to specify varying loads in space or time. In addition,
the addition of loads at different times does not represent a physical launch. This is done so
that the solution will have a better chance at converging. Applying all loads at the same time
will exponentially increase the complexity of the equations that need to be solved.
 
 
What are the  2nd and 3rd order effects that Andy talks about??

These effects can, for example, be things that indirectly influence the deformation of the body. More
information can be found in the chat that we had with Andy and Sean.
 
 
Should I be worried when the warning about weak springs occurs?

No, you should not be worried. ANSYS still solves your model and you should still get results similar to
those in the video.
 
 
What is traction?

Traction is a vector while stress is a magnitude. For more details, please watch the video
again (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msozB3MWfXs).
 
 
How can I make the geometry for the bolted nozzle flange?

You can go to this link

here: https://confluence.cornell.edu/display/SIMULATION/Bolted+Nozzle+Flange+-+Geometry
 
 

Does it matter if we use frictionless contacts?

In general for a gapping analysis, a frictionless contact is more conservative than a frictional
one. Because the two flanges can slide freely, there is no friction to help prevent movement
of the flanges along their faces. Thus, frictionless contacts usually yield higher gap values
than frictional ones. In addition, frictional contacts complicate the equations that ANSYS has
to solve and increase solve time. This is investigated more thoroughly in the Bolted Nozzle
Flange Homework.
 
 
What is the purpose of ramped loads?
 
Ramped loads are important for analyses involving large perturbations to the model (such as
large imposed deformations, loads, temperature gradients, etc). Considering only static
structural models, imposing a large load in a single load step makes it much more difficult for
the model to converge (oftentimes it will not). Thus, it is advantageous for one to apply large
loads in several load steps. If you are curious, you can check this by viewing the Force
Convergence plot in the Solution Output. 

© All Rights Reserved