Learning Forum

[MollyC]

Hi there,

I have a plate with the dimensions 100x100 cm and the thickness varies. The thickness was tested every 1 cm and documented in a 100x100 matrix.

I would like to do a buckling analysis and use the accurate thicknesses of the plate for that. Is there is a command, with which I can assign after the meshing each sub-element a new individual thickness? Or whether it makes sense to make a model with many elements. So to create a new element for each tested thickness (with the tested thickness) and then to create a model with many different elements. Or is that too time-consuming?

[peteroznewman]

Hi Molly,

Thickness alone is insufficient information to create a model. What you want is the profile of each side. The image below is an illustration of the side view of three plates.  The thickness of each plate is very uniform, but the profile is very different, so the buckling load will be very different.

Only if one side is perfectly flat would the thickness alone be sufficient to create a model.

Regards,
Peter

[MollyC]

Hi Peter,

Thank you for your quick reply.

Actually one side of my model is perfectly flat, so I guess thickness alone is sufficient. The question is how it is possible to assign each element a unique and different thickness after the meshing.

For example I have an plate with the dimension 12 cm x 12 cm, like in the pic below. And I want my model to be accurate in the thickness. So for each field of 1cm x 1 cm I want to give my model a unique and different thickness (before or after the meshing). 

 

Greetings, Cora

[peteroznewman]

Hi Cora,

You can put the rows of thickness data into an x,y,z data file and create twelve 3D curves, then you can create a surface through the twelve 3D curves. Here is an example of the data format needed for a 3D curve.

Regards,
Peter

[MollyC]

Hi Peter, 

Thank you for your quick reply.

I've read the post about the 3D curves. I use ANSYS mechanical and import there normally Macros and I didn't really understand how I should import the data with my points in a Macro. Do you know the comand for an Macro in ANSYS mechanical?

Greetings, Cora

 

[peteroznewman]

Hi Cora,

I don't use Macros. I recommend you use Mechanical Workbench, drag a Geometry component or an Eigenvalue Buckling system and open DesignModeler to create the 3D curve by reading in the text file.

Regards,
Peter

 

[Rahul Kumbhar]

Hi Cora,

You can try bu using External Data in Workbench. Connect External Data to Model Cell in Mechanical System. In External data you can import text file in X,Y,Z,Thickness columns format.

Best Regards

Rahul

[MollyC]

Hi Rahul,

 

Thank you for your tip! I will try that out.

 

Greetings, MollyC