How to use Simulation to change the Frequencies of a Design — Lesson 3

Modal Analysis is very useful to understand the structure’s dynamic response to free vibrations. We can analyze the natural frequencies and the mode shapes of the structure and determine its vibration characteristics. This can help us understand whether the natural frequencies are falling in the range of excitation frequencies. If so, we may need to alter our design to shift the natural frequencies away from the avoidable range. The mode shapes and the strain energy density plots can be very helpful when deciding about the modifications in the geometry. In this video, we will see how to use modal analysis in Ansys Mechanical to get more understanding of the design and revise it based on the results.

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Video Highlights

0:26 - Why Vibration Characteristics of a Structure are important?

1:26 - Determining Natural Frequencies of a Structure

2:05 - Using Participation Factors

3:14 - Altering Mass & Stiffness to alter Natural Frequency

3:34 - Using the Strain Energy Density Output

Simulation Files

Download the accompanying geometry and archived files here. The student version of Ansys Simulation Software can be downloaded here.