Structural & Thermal

Structural & Thermal

Will activating weak springs (i.e., “Weak Springs on”) in my Mechanical model produce inaccurate results?

Tagged: Weak Springs

    • FAQFAQ
      Participant

      Probably not, but you need to verify their effect. Weak springs should not provide structural support. They are only intended to provide numerical stability during the solution. As such, they should not develop significant reaction forces. Their reaction forces should be orders of magnitude less than the other reaction forces in the model. If so, then they aren’t significantly affecting the results. However, if they are similar to other reaction forces, then the weak springs are affecting the calculated results and you need to review your model to determine the cause (insufficient boundary conditions, ineffective contact, etc.).
      To check the effect of the weak springs, insert a “Force Reaction Probe” under the solution output Object in the Outline Tree and specify it to calculate the reaction forces associated with the “Weak Springs” boundary condition. The probe result will be the total reaction force developed in the all of the weak springs. That number can then be compared to the reaction forces at the true boundary conditions.