Tutorial 1

Pre-processing
3D Element

333MAE – Finite Element Analysis

Dr Reza Moosavi
Learning Outcomes

• Introduction to HyperWorks

• Pre-processing.

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Outline
• Introduction to HyperWorks
• Pre-processing
• Mesh generation with 3D element
• Define material
• Define property
• Apply BC
• Apply load
• Summary.

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HyperWorks

• Structural Analysis
• Optimization
• Multi-Body Dynamics (MBD)
• Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)
• Electro-Magnetic Field Simulation (EM).

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 https://altairuniversity.com/altairuniversity-for-students/

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 Title Bar
Menu Bar (Pull down menu)

• Model Browser
• Solver Browser Toolbars Graphics Area
• Connector Browser
• Entity State Browser
• Unity Menu Browser Panel Area
• Mask Menu Pages
& Sub-Panel
• …

• Entity Editor

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Pre-processing Steps

1. Open HyperMesh (HM) file of model

2. Mesh generation
3. Define material
4. Define property
5. Apply BC
6. Apply load.

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Leaning on a glass table

How much mass before it breaks?

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Leaning on a glass table

• How much mass before it breaks?

• Week 1: Pre-processing
• Week 2: Post-processing.

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Leaning on a glass table
1. Getting started:
2
a) Download glass_table_start.hm from Aula
3
(make sure you have read/write access to the
location you save it to)
b) Double click on glass_table_start.hm to be
opened in HyperWorks
c) Select Optistruct user profile.

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Leaning on a glass table
2. Material: 1 2

a) Open the Tetramesh panel ( Mesh  Create 

Tetra Mesh) 3

b) Select the glass top

c) Use the settings below and press “mesh” then
“return”

4
6
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Leaning on a glass table
3. Material: 1 2

a) Open the “create material” browser

(Material  Create)
b) Assign a suitable name; e.g. “Toughened
Glass”
3
c) Use MAT1 (linear elastic)
d) Assign E, Nu and Rho (pay attention to 4
units – and be consistent!).
5
6
7

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Leaning on a glass table
d) Assign E, Nu and Rho (pay attention to units – and be consistent!)
𝜎 = 𝐹 Τ𝐴 = 𝑁Τ𝑚𝑚2 = 𝑁Τ 10−6 𝑚2 = 106 𝑁Τ𝑚2 = 𝑀𝑃𝑎
Name HM Symbol Value Unit
Young’s Modulus E 70,000 MPa
Poisson’s Ratio Nu 0.22 N/A
Volumetric mass
RHO 2.5e-9 Ton / mm3
density 5
Ultimate Tensile 6
N/A 150 MPa
strength (UTS)* 7

𝑚 = 𝐹 Τ𝑎 = 𝑁Τ 𝑚𝑚Τ𝑠 2 = 𝑁Τ 10−3 𝑚Τ𝑠 2 = 103 𝑁Τ 𝑚Τ𝑠 2 = 103 𝑘𝑔 = 1 𝑇𝑜𝑛

*Note that toughened glass is a brittle material.
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Leaning on a glass table
4. Property:
1 2 3
a) Open the “create property” browser (Properties
 Create  Properties)
b) Assign a suitable name; e.g. “Toughened Glass”
c) Use PSOLID (“standard” 3D element)
d) Select the material created in step 3
e) Assign the property by “right clicking” the
“Toughened Glass”
component and select 6 4
“assign”. 5

7
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Leaning on a glass table
5. Boundary Conditions – Load Collectors: 1 2
a) Open the “create load collector” browser 3

(Collectors  Create  Load Collectors)

b) Assign the name “Force”; click “close”
c) Repeat steps “a” and “b” but use the name
“SPC” 4
d) Ensure the “SPC” load collector is active*

*The active Load Collector is highlighted in bold in the

entity tree. If you want to use a Load Collector which isn’t
currently active; right click it and select “make current”.
5

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Leaning on a glass table
1
5. Boundary Conditions - SPC 2 3
a) Create Single Point Constraints in the SPC load
collector to represent the “legs” on the glass top
(BCs  Create  Constraints)
4
b) Click the to set the bottom view
c) Make the legs transparent by clicking 5

d) Select the 3 corner nodes of the green table leg

as indicated in the image
e) Only constrain DOF3 (relative to the global
coordinate system)
f) Click create
g) Click return.
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Leaning on a glass table
1

5
4

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 1

2 3
4
5. Boundary Conditions - Load:
a) Create Forces in the Force load collector to 5
represent someone leaning on the glass top
(BCs  Create  Forces)
b) Select the 6 corner nodes as indicated in the
image opposite
c) Use the details below for the remaining info

6
7
70 × 9.81 Τ6 = 114.45 𝑁
9
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Leaning on a glass table
1
6. Load Step 2
a) Open the “Load Step” browser
3
(Setup  Create  Load Steps)
b) Assign a suitable name for the Load
Step (e.g. Leaning_70kg)
c) Set the Analysis Type to “Linear
4
Static”
d) Under “SPC” select the “SPC” load
collector previously created
e) Under “LOAD” select the “Force” 5
load collector previously created 6

f) Click close.
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Leaning on a glass table

Congratulations; the model is now ready to solve!

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Summary

• Introduction to HyperWorks

• Pre-processing

After this session, you should be able to describe:

• Briefly HyperWorks

• How to set up a model for a linear static analysis with 3D element

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