Ansys Basic

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From within the ANSYS program, you can use either of the following:

Command(s):

/FILNAME

GUI:

Utility Menu>File>Change Jobname

The /FILNAMEcommand is valid only at the Begin level. It lets you change the jobname even if you

specified an initial jobname at ANSYS entry. However, the jobname applies only to files you open after using

/FILNAME. Files opened before you use /FILNAME, such as the log file,Jobname.LOG, and error file

Jobname.ERR, will still have the initialjobname.

1.2.1.2 Defining an Analysis Title

The /TITLEcommand (Utility Menu>File>Change Title), defines a title for the analysis. ANSYSincludes the title on all graphics displays and on the solution output. You can issue the /STITLEcommand to

add subtitles these will appear in the output, but not in graphics displays.

1.2.1.3 Defining Units

The ANSYS program does not assume a system of units for your analysis. Except in magnetic field analyses,

you can use any system of units so long as you make sure that you use that system for all the data you enter.

(Units must be consistent for all input data.)

Using the /UNITScommand, you can set a marker in the ANSYS database indicating the system of units

that you are using. This command does not convert data from one system of units to another it simply serves

as a record for subsequent reviews of the analysis.

1.2.2 Defining Element Types

The ANSYS element library contains more than 100 different element types. Each element type has a unique

number and a prefix that identifies the element category: BEAM4, PLANE77, SOLID96, etc. The following

element categories are available:

BEAM

COMBINation

CONTACt

FLUID

HYPERelastic

INFINite

LINK

MASS

MATRIXPIPE

PLANE

SHELL

SOLID

SOURCe

SURFace

TARGEt

USER

INTERfaceVISCOelastic (or viscoplastic)

The element type determines, among other things:
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below). RLISTlists real constant values for all sets. The command ELIST,,,,,1 produces an easier-

to-read list that shows, for each element, the real constant labels and their values.

Command(s):

ELIST

GUI:

Utility Menu>List>Elements>Attributes + RealConst

Utility Menu>List>Elements>Attributes Only

Utility Menu>List>Elements>Nodes + Attributes

Utility Menu>List>Elements>Nodes + Attributes + RealConst

Command(s):

RLIST

GUI:

Utility Menu>List>Properties>All Real Constants

Utility Menu>List>Properties>Specified Real Const

For line and area elements that require geometry data (cross-sectional area, thickness, diameter, etc.)

to be specified as real constants, you can verify the input graphically by using the following commands

in the order shown:

Command(s):

/ESHAPEandEPLOT

GUI:

Utility Menu>PlotCtrls>Style>Size and Shape

Utility Menu>Plot>Elements

ANSYS displays the elements as solid elements, using a rectangular cross-section for link and shell

elements and a circular cross-section for pipe elements. The cross-section proportions are determined

from the real constant values.

1.2.3.1 Creating Cross Sections

If you are building a model using BEAM188or BEAM189, you can use the section commands (SECTYPE,

SECDATA, etc. (Main Menu>Preprocessor>Sections> -Beam-Common Sects)) to define and use

cross sections in your models. See Chapter 8of theANSYS Advanced Analysis Techniques Guidefor

information on how to use the Beam Tool to create cross sections.

1.2.4 Defining Material Properties

Most element types require material properties. Depending on the application, material properties may be:
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Linear or nonlinear

Isotropic, orthotropic, or anisotropic

Constant temperature or temperature-dependent.

As with element types and real constants, each set of material properties has a material reference number.

The table of material reference numbers versus material property sets is called the material table. Within one

analysis, you may have multiple material property sets (to correspond with multiple materials used in the

model). ANSYS identifies each set with a unique reference number.

While defining the elements, you point to the appropriate material reference number using one of the

following:

Command(s):

MAT

GUI:

Main Menu>Preprocessor>-Attributes->Define>Default Attribs

1.2.4.1 Using Material Library Files

Although you can define material properties separately for each finite element analysis, the ANSYS program

enables you to store a material property set in an archival material library file, then retrieve the set and reuse it

in multiple analyses. (Each material property set has its own library file.) The material library files also enable

several ANSYS users to share commonly used material property data.

The material library feature offers you other advantages:

Because the archived contents of material library files are reusable, you can use them to define other,

similar material property sets quickly and with fewer errors. For example, suppose that you have

defined material properties for one grade of steel and want to create a material property set for another

grade of steel that is slightly different. You can write the existing steel material property set to a material

library file, read it back into ANSYS under a different material number, and then, within ANSYS,

make the minor changes needed to define properties for the second type of steel.

Using the /MPLIBcommand (Main Menu>Preprocessor>Material Props> Material

Library>Library Path), you can define a material library read and write path. Doing this allows you

to protect your material data resources in a read-only archive, while giving ANSYS users the ability to

write their material data locally without switching paths.

You can give your material library files meaningful names that reflect the characteristics of the data they

contain. For example, the name of a material library file describing properties of a steel casting might

be STEELCST.SI_MPL. (See Section 1.2.4.4for an explanation of file naming conventions.)

You can design your own directory hierarchy for material library files. This enables you to classify and

catalog the files by material type (plastic, aluminum, etc.), by units, or by any category you choose.

The next few paragraphs describe how to create and read material library files. For additional information,

see the descriptions of the /MPLIB, MPREAD, and MPWRITEcommands in theANSYS CommandsReference.

1.2.4.2 Format of Material Library Files
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The extension of a material library filename follows the pattern .xx x_MPL, wherexx xidentifies the

system of units for this material property sets. For example, if the system of units is the CGS system,

the file extension is .CGS_MPL. The default extension, used if you do not specify a units system

before creating the material library file, is .USER_MPL. (This indicates a user-defined system of units.)

1.2.4.5 Reading a Material Library File

To read a material library file into the ANSYS database, perform these steps:

1. Use the /UNITScommand or its GUI equivalent to tell the ANSYS program what system of units you are

using.

Note-The default system of units for ANSYS is SI. The GUI lists only material library files with the currently

active units.

2. Specify a new material reference number or an existing number that you wish to overwrite:

Command(s):

MAT

GUI:

Main Menu>Preprocessor>Create>Elements>Elem Attributes

Caution: Overwriting an existing material in the ANSYS database deletes all of the data associated with it.

3. To read the material library file into the database, use one of the following:

Command(s):

MPREAD,Filename...LIB

GUI:

Main Menu>Preprocessor>Material Props>Material Library>Import Library

The LIB argument supports a file search hierarchy. The program searches for the named material

library file first in the current working directory, then in your home directory, then in the read path

directory specified by the /MPLIBcommand, and finally in the ANSYS-supplied directory

/ansys5x/matlib. If you omit the LIB argument, the programs searches only in the current working

directory.

1.2.4.6 Linear Material Properties

Linear material properties can be constant or temperature-dependent, and isotropic or orthotropic. To define

constantmaterial properties (either isotropic or orthotropic), use one of the following:

Command(s):

MP
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GUI:

Main Menu>Preprocessor>Material Props>property type

You also must specify the appropriate property label for example EX, EY, EZ for Young's modulus, KXX,

KYY, KZZ for thermal conductivity, and so forth. For isotropic material you need to define only the X-

direction property the other directions default to the X-direction value. For example:

MP,EX,1,2E11 ! Young's modulus for material ref. no. 1 is 2E11MP,DENS,1,7800 ! Density for material ref. no. 1 is 7800MP,KXX,3,43 ! Thermal conductivity for material ref. no 1 is 43

Besides the defaults for Y- and Z-direction properties (which default to the X-direction properties), other

material property defaults are built in to reduce the amount of input. For example, Poisson's ratio (NUXY)

defaults to 0.3, shear modulus (GXY) defaults to EX/2(1+NUXY)), and emissivity (EMIS) defaults to 1.0.

See theANSYS Elements Referencefor details.

You can choose constant, isotropic, linear material properties from a material library available through the

GUI. Young's modulus, density, coefficient of thermal expansion, Poisson's ratio, thermal conductivity andspecific heat are available for 10 materials in four unit systems.

Caution:The property values in the material library are provided for your convenience. They are typical

values for the materials you can use for preliminary analyses and non-critical applications. As always, the user

is responsible for all data input to the ANSYS program.

To define temperature-dependentmaterial properties, you can use the MPcommand in combination with

the MPTEMPor MPTGENcommand (Main Menu> Preprocessor>Material Props>property type

and Main Menu>Preprocessor> Material Props>Temp Tableor Main

Menu>Preprocessor>Material Props> Generate Temp). You also can use the MPTEMPandMPDATAcommands (Main Menu>Preprocessor>Material Props>Temp Tableor Main Menu>

Preprocessor>Material Props>Prop Table). The MPcommand allows you to define a property-versus-

temperature function in the form of a polynomial. The polynomial may be linear, quadratic, cubic, or quartic:

Cnare the coefficients and T is the temperature. You enter the coefficients using the C0, C1, C2, C3, and

C4arguments on the MPcommand. If you specify just C0, the material property is constant if you specify

C0and C1, the material property varies linearly with temperature and so on. When you specify a

temperature-dependent property in this manner, the program internally evaluates the polynomial at discretetemperature points with linear interpolation between points (that is, piece-wise linear representation) and a

constant-valued extrapolation beyond the extreme points. You mustuse the MPTEMPor MPTGEN

command beforethe MPcommand for second and higher-order properties to define appropriate

temperature steps.

The second way to define temperature-dependent material properties is to use a combination of MPTEMP

and MPDATAcommands. MPTEMP(or MPTGEN) defines a series of temperatures, and MPDATA

defines corresponding material property values. For example, the following commands define a temperature-

dependent enthalpy for material 4:

MPTEMP,1,1600,1800,2000,2325,2326,2335 ! 6 temperatures (temps 16)MPTEMP,7,2345,2355,2365,2374,2375,3000 ! 6 more temps (temps 712)MPDATA,ENTH,4,1,53.81,61.23,68.83,81.51,81.55,82.31 ! CorrespondingMPDATA,ENTH,4,7,84.48,89.53,99.05,112.12,113.00,137.40 ! enthalpy values
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The MPTREScommand (Main Menu>Preprocessor>Material Props>Restore Temps) allows you to

replace the current temperature table with that of a previously defined material property in the database. You

can then use the previous temperature data points for another property.

For temperature-dependent thermal expansion coefficients (ALPX, ALPY, ALPZ), if the base temperature

for which they are defined (the definitiontemperature) differs from the reference temperature (the

temperature at which zero thermal strains exist, defined by MP,REFTor TREF), then use the MPAMOD

command to convert the data to the reference temperature. For GUI paths equivalent to this command, seethe MPAMODdescription in theANSYS Commands Reference.

The ANSYS program takes temperature-dependent material properties into account during solution when

element matrices are formulated. The program first calculates the temperature at the center of each element

(or, for thermal elements, at the integration points of each element), determines the corresponding material

property value by linear interpolation of the property-temperature table, and then uses this value to formulate

the element matrices. If an element's temperature falls below or above the defined range of tabular data, then

the defined extreme minimum or maximum value, respectively, is assumed for the material property outside

the defined range.

You can save linear material properties (whether they are temperature-dependent or constant) to a file or

restore them from a text file. (See Section 1.2.4for a discussion of material library files.) You also can use

either of the following to write both linear and nonlinear material properties to a file:

Command(s):

CDWRITE,MAT

GUI:

Main Menu>Preprocessor>Archive Model>Write

Note-If you are using the CDWRITEcommand in any of the ANSYS-derived products (ANSYS/Emag,

ANSYS/Thermal, etc.), you must edit theJobname.CDB file that CDWRITEcreates to remove commands

which are not available in the derived product. You must do this before reading theJobname.CDB file.

1.2.4.7 Nonlinear Material Properties

Nonlinear material properties are usually tabular data, such as plasticity data (stress-strain curves for different

hardening laws), magnetic field data (B-H curves), creep data, swelling data, hyperelastic material data, etc.

The first step in defining a nonlinear material property is to activate a data table using the TBcommand

(Main Menu>Preprocessor>Material Props>Data Tables> Define/Activate). For example, TB,BH,2

activates the B-H table for material reference number 2.

To enter the tabular data, use the TBPTcommand (Main Menu>Preprocessor> Material Props>Data

Tables>Edit Active). For example, the following commands define a B-H curve:

TBPT,DEFI,150,.21TBPT,DEFI,300,.55

TBPT,DEFI,460,.80TBPT,DEFI,640,.95TBPT,DEFI,720,1.0TBPT,DEFI,890,1.1TBPT,DEFI,1020,1.15
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TBPT,DEFI,1280,1.25

TBPT,DEFI,1900,1.4

You can verify the data table through displays and listings using the following:

Command(s):

TBPLOT, TBLIST

GUI:

Main Menu>Preprocessor>Material Props>Data Tables>Graph

Main Menu>Preprocessor>Material Props>Data Tables>List

Figure 1-2shows a sample TBPLOT(of the B-H curve defined above):

Figure 1-2 A sample TBPLOT display

1.2.4.8 Anisotropic Elastic Material Properties

Some element types accept anisotropic elastic material properties, which are usually input in the form of a

matrix. (These properties are different from anisotropic plasticity, which requires different stress-strain curves

in different directions.) Among the element types that allow elastic anisotropy are SOLID64(the 3-D

anisotropic solid), PLANE13(the 2-D coupled-field solid), SOLID5and SOLID98(the 3-D coupled-fieldsolids).

The procedure to specify anisotropic elastic material properties resembles that for nonlinear properties. You

first activate a data table using the TBcommand (withLab=ANEL) and then define the terms of the elastic

coefficient matrix using the TBDATAcommand. Be sure to verify your input with the TBLISTcommand.

See Section 2.5of theANSYS Elements Referencemanual and the appropriate element descriptions for

more information.

1.2.5 Creating the Model Geometry

Once you have defined material properties, the next step in an analysis is generating a finite element model-

nodes and elements-that adequately describes the model geometry. The graphic below shows some sample
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finite element models:

Figure 1-3 Some sample finite element models

There are two methods to create the finite element model: solid modeling and direct generation. Withsolid

modeling, you describe the geometric shape of your model, then instruct the ANSYS program to

automatically meshthe geometry with nodes and elements. You can control the size and shape of the

elements that the program creates. With direct generation, you "manually" define the location of each node

and the connectivity of each element. Several convenience operations, such as copying patterns of existing

nodes and elements, symmetry reflection, etc. are available.

Details of the two methods and many other aspects related to model generation-coordinate systems, working

planes, coupling, constraint equations, etc.-are described in theANSYS Modeling and Meshing Guide.

1.2.6 Apply Loads and Obtain the Solution

In this step, you use the SOLUTION processor to define the analysis type and analysis options, apply loads,

specify load step options, and initiate the finite element solution. You also can apply loads using the PREP7

preprocessor.

1.2.6.1 Defining the Analysis Type and Analysis Options

You choose the analysis type based on the loading conditions and the response you wish to calculate. For

example, if natural frequencies and mode shapes are to be calculated, you would choose a modal analysis.

You can perform the following analysis types in the ANSYS program: static (or steady-state), transient,harmonic, modal, spectrum, buckling, and substructuring.

Not all analysis types are valid for all disciplines. Modal analysis, for example, is not valid for a thermal

model. The analysis guide manuals in the ANSYS documentation set describe the analysis types available for

each discipline and the procedures to do those analyses.

Analysis options allow you to customize the analysis type. Typical analysis options are the method of solution,

stress stiffening on or off, and Newton-Raphson options.

To define the analysis type and analysis options, use the ANTYPEcommand (MainMenu>Preprocessor>Loads>New Analysisor Main Menu> Preprocessor>Loads>Restart) and the

appropriate analysis option commands (TRNOPT, HROPT, MODOPT, SSTIF, NROPT, etc.). For GUI

equivalents for the other commands, see their descriptions in theANSYS Commands Reference.
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You can specify either a new analysis or a restart, but a new analysis is the choice in most cases. Restarts are

available only for static (steady-state), harmonic (2-D magnetic only), and transient analyses. The various

analysis guides discuss details of restarts. You cannot change the analysis type and analysis options after the

first solution.

A sample input listing for a structural transient analysis is shown below. Remember that the discipline

(structural, thermal, magnetic, etc.) is implied by the element typesused in the model.

ANTYPE,TRANSTRNOPT,FULLSSTIF,ONNLGEOM,ON

Once you have defined the analysis type and analysis options, the next step is to apply loads. Some structural

analysis types require other items to be defined first, such as master degrees of freedom and gap conditions.

TheANSYS Structural Analysis Guidedescribes these items where necessary.

1.2.6.2 Applying Loads

The word loadsas used in this manual includes boundary conditions (constraints, supports, or boundary field

specifications) as well as other externally and internally applied loads. Loads in the ANSYS program are

divided into six categories:

DOF Constraints

Forces

Surface Loads

Body Loads

Inertia Loads

Coupled-field Loads

You can apply most of these loads either on the solid model (keypoints, lines, and areas) or the finite element

model (nodes and elements). For details about the load categories and how they can be applied on your

model, see Chapter 2in this manual.

Two important load-related terms you need to know are load step and substep. A load stepis simply a

configuration of loads for which you obtain a solution. In a structural analysis, for example, you may apply

wind loads in one load step and gravity in a second load step. Load steps are also useful in dividing a

transient load history curve into several segments.

Substepsare incremental steps taken within a load step. You use them mainly for accuracy and convergence

purposes in transient and nonlinear analyses. Substeps are also known as time steps-steps taken over a

period of time.

Note-The ANSYS program uses the concept of timein transient analyses as well as static (or steady-state)

analyses. In a transient analysis, time represents actual time, in seconds, minutes, or hours. In a static or

steady-state analysis, time simply acts as a counter to identify load steps and substeps.

1.2.6.3 Specifying Load Step Options

Load step options are options that you can change from load step to load step, such as number of substeps,

time at the end of a load step, and output controls. Depending on the type of analysis you are doing, load step
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