Mesh Connection Methods in Ansys Mechanical Software

This course is designed for users of Ansys Mechanical™ structural finite element analysis software who routinely use beam and shell elements in their simulation models.

One challenge with such models, especially when they consist of many line and surface bodies, is ensuring mesh connectivity among all the bodies included in the model. Without proper connectivity, a static structural analysis is likely to fail due to rigid body motion. While Contact Connections can be used to provide load transfer through bodies that do not share a mesh, they may require additional preprocessing effort to ensure the connections are defined properly.

This course will present you with several methods to create a shared mesh among the line and surface bodies in a model. These methods will virtually eliminate the preprocessing effort required at the CAD level to share topology, define CAD imprints, or resolve gaps or intersections among the component bodies. Instead, connectivity is enforced inside Ansys Mechanical software at the Mesh level and can be done in an automated, yet controlled manner. Because the connectivity is enforced via the mesh, preprocessing effort is decreased while taking advantage of the fast and robust meshing algorithms in Ansys Mechanical software.

Learning Outcomes:

Following the completion of this course, you will be able to:

• Use Mesh Connections to edit an existing mesh to ensure connectivity among beam and shell elements.
• Use Batch Connections to create a mesh while at the same time establishing mesh connectivity among disjointed surface and line bodies.
• Use the Connect mesh control to connect surface bodies.
• Use the Weld mesh control to create Weld geometry to connect surface bodies.

Prerequisites:

• Ansys Mechanical Getting Started: Basics course

Please note: These training materials were developed and tested in 2023R2 release.