Force/Torque PropertyManager

To access the Force/Torque PropertyManager, do one of the following:

• Click the down arrow on External Loads (Simulation CommandManager) and select Force .
• In the Simulation study tree, right-click External Loads , and select Force or Torque .

Type

Sets the type of force to apply. To apply force or moment to beams, see the topic Force/Torque PropertyManager (for Beams).

	Force
	Torque
		If you choose Force and select Normal, you can select faces. For a sheet metal part, the normal force on the side face is transferred to the shell edge. If you choose Force and select Selected direction, you can select faces, edges, vertices, or reference points for force. The reference points must lie within the model’s boundary. If you choose Torque, you can select faces only.
	Face, Edge, Plane, Axis for Direction	Select an entity to specify the direction of the selected load. Valid entities depend on the load type as follows: If you right-click External Loads and select Force, you can select a face, edge, plane or axis for direction. If you right-click External Loads and select Torque, you can select a reference axis, an edge, or a cylindrical face. In an assembly, you can use reference geometry from the assembly or the components (parts and subassemblies) of the assembly.

Force/Normal Force/Torque

Sets values for the force components, normal force, or torque.

	Selected direction	If you choose Selected direction, your input depends on the selected entity for direction as follows: A plane or a face Specify at least one of the following components: Along Plane Dir 1 . Sets the value of the force component along Dir 1 of the plane or face. Along Plane Dir 2 . Sets the value of the force component along Dir 2 of the plane or face. Normal to plane . Sets the value of the force component normal to the plane or face An axis Specify at least one of the following components: Radial . Sets the value of the force component in the radial direction. Circumferential . Sets the value of the force component in the circumferential direction. Axial . Sets the value of the force component along the axis. An edge Specify the following component: Along Edge . Sets the value of the force along the selected edge. To reverse the direction of the force, enter a negative value.
	Normal	If you select Normal, specify the value of the force.
	Torque	If you select Torque , specify the value of the torque. If you apply a torque to a face using as a reference for direction an axis that is not the axis of symmetry (or it is not parallel to the plane of symmetry), an unbalanced resultant force may appear in the results. Check that the magnitude of the unbalanced resultant force is small enough, so that it can be neglected.
	Per item	Applies the force or torque value per selected entity.
	Total	Applies the total force or torque value among the selected entities. The selected entities must be of the same type in a force or torque definition (you cannot mix faces with edges or vertices). The total force is distributed proportionally to the areas of the selected faces (or to the lengths of the selected edges). If face 1 has area A1 and face 2 has area A2, the ratio of the total force applied to face 1 is: F_total * [A1 / (A1+A2)] and to face 2 is: F_total * [A2 / (A1+A2)].

Variation with Time

For linear and nonlinear dynamic studies, you can define a time-dependent force.

Nonuniform Distribution

Specifies options for nonuniform force distribution.

	Select a Coordinate System	Select a coordinate system to define the nonuniform force: Cartesian coordinate system (x, y, z) Cylindrical coordinate system (radial "r", circumferential "t", axial "z") Spherical coordinate system (radial "r", longitude " t", latitude "p")
	Units	Sets the units for the Cartesian (x, y, z), cylindrical (r, z), and spherical (r) coordinates. These units are independent from the force or torque values units and the units defined in Default Options > Units.
	Angular Units	Sets the angular units for the cylindrical (t) and spherical (t, p) coordinates. The trigonometric functions in equations (sin, cos, etc.) always treat the angular values in radians. To convert degrees to radians, multiply by pi /180 (for example cos("t" * 3.14159265 / 180.0)).
	Edit Equation	Defines the equation which describes the spatial variation of the force with respect to the selected coordinate system. You can use a list of basic mathematical functions from the drop-down menu. In the equation interface, enter the coordinates inside quotation marks: "x", "y", "z", "r", "t", and "p". For example: Equation for nonuniform force distribution based on cylindrical coordinates (r, t, z): F (r, t, z) = 5 * "r" + sin ("t") + 2 * "z" Equation for nonuniform force distribution based on spherical coordinates (r, t, p): F (r, t, p) = "r" + 3 * sin ("t") + 2 * cos ("p")

Symbol Settings

Sets the color and size of force/torque symbols

Notes:

Example of nonuniform force distribution defined by a reference Cartesian coordinate system.

F (X,Y) = A + B*X + C*Y + D*X*Y + E*X^2 + F*Y^2

Where:

F (X,Y) = relative magnitude of force applied at a point with coordinates X and Y for the selected coordinate system.

The value you enter in the Force field is the total force actually applied to the selected entities. The area under the distance versus force curve that is described by the equation is equal to the force value you enter. If the force reverses direction along a geometric entity (face or edge), the applied force value is equal to the summation of the absolute values of the forces applied to all nodes on the face or edge.

Contrary to the application of variable pressure, the A, B, C, D, E, and F polynomial coefficients are only used to define the relative distribution of the force. Multiplying all the coefficients by an arbitrary value, will not change the distribution or the intensity of the force.