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

In this chapter, we have explored the fundamental procedures involved in the static analysis of beams. Building on our knowledge of the weldment tool introduced in Chapter 2, Analyses of Bars and Trusses, we have demonstrated how to create the model of a beam and the transformation of the model into a beam structural member. Beyond this, the chapter entails additional knowledge that relates specifically to the simulation of beams. Some of these include the following:

  • How to employ critical points along the length of the beam to create the line segments
  • How to rotate a weldment profile to achieve the desired orientation
  • How to apply a distributed load on a beam segment
  • How to apply a moment at a point on a beam and the SOLIDWORKS Simulation convention
  • How to extract the maximum deflection of a beam
  • How to visualize the shear force and bending moment diagrams

You saw how to handle the simulation of trusses and beams/frames in Chapters 2, Analyses...