Book Image

Practical Finite Element Simulations with SOLIDWORKS 2022

By : Khameel B. Mustapha
Book Image

Practical Finite Element Simulations with SOLIDWORKS 2022

By: Khameel B. Mustapha

Overview of this book

SOLIDWORKS is a dominant computer-aided design (CAD) software for the 3D modeling, designing, and analysis of components. This book helps you get to grips with SOLIDWORKS Simulation, which is a remarkable and integral part of SOLIDWORKS predominantly deployed for advanced product performance assessment and virtual prototyping. With this book, you'll take a hands-on approach to learning SOLIDWORKS Simulation with the help of step-by-step guidelines on various aspects of the simulation workflow. You'll begin by learning about the requirements for effective simulation of parts and components, along with the idealization of physical components and their representation with finite element models. As you progress through the book, you'll find exercises at the end of each chapter, and you'll be able to download the geometry models used in all the chapters from GitHub. Finally, you’ll discover how to set up finite element simulations for the static analysis of components under various types of loads, and with different types of materials, from simple isotropic to composite, and different boundary conditions. By the end of this SOLIDWORKS 2022 book, you'll be able to conduct basic and advanced static analyses with SOLIDWORKS Simulation and have practical knowledge of how to best use the family of elements in the SOLIDWORKS Simulation library.
Table of Contents (15 chapters)
1
Section 1: An Introduction to SOLIDWORKS Simulation
6
Section 2: SOLIDWORKS Simulation with Shell and Solid Elements
10
Section 3: Advanced SOLIDWORKS Simulation with Complex Material and Loading Behavior

Summary

This chapter has covered some basic concepts in the use of SOLIDWORKS Simulation for the static analysis of trusses. We have explored how to create the skeletal lines describing a truss structure and the conversion of these line sketches into structural members with volume elements using the weldments tool. Overall, the following ideas have been addressed:

  • How to activate weldment tool for structural analysis
  • How to edit the cross-section of in-built profiles for specific needs
  • How to change structural beam elements to truss elements
  • Applying loads and fixtures on specific joints of a truss structure
  • Modifying the displacement plot and obtaining the factor of safety

In the next chapter, Chapter 3, Analyses of Beams and Frames, we will study the use of beam elements for the analysis of transversely loaded components and study the usefulness of these elements for more complex analyses.