Input for Linear Static Analysis

To perform linear static analysis, you need the following:

Meshed model You must mesh the model before running the analysis. Contact conditions must be defined before meshing. Any change in geometry, contact conditions, or mesh options requires remeshing.
Material properties

You must define the Young’s Modulus EX (also called the Modulus of Elasticity). Poisson’s Ratio (NUXY) is assumed to be zero if not defined. In addition, you need to define the density (DENS) when considering the effect of gravity and/or centrifugal loading and the coefficient of thermal expansion (ALPX) when considering thermal loading. When you select a material from a default material library, these properties are assigned automatically. The default value for the Shear modulus (GXY) is calculated from: GXY = EX/2(1+NUXY).

The above description applies for isotropic materials. For orthotropic materials, you can define different Moduli of Elasticity, Shear Moduli, Poisson Ratios, and/or Coefficients of Thermal Expansion in different directions.

Compressive, tensile, and yield strength are used by failure criteria to assess failure. They are not used in calculating stresses.

Fixtures Adequate restraints to prevent the body from rigid body motion. If your model is not adequately constrained, check the Use soft springs to stabilize the model option in the Static dialog box. When importing loads from SOLIDWORKS Motion, make sure that Use inertial relief option is checked. These options are available for the Direct Sparse and FFEPlus solvers.
Loads At least one of the following types of loading:
  • Concentrated forces
  • Pressure
  • Prescribed nonzero displacements
  • Body forces (gravitational and/or centrifugal)
  • Thermal (define temperatures or get the temperature profile from thermal analysis)
  • Imported loads from SOLIDWORKS Motion (SOLIDWORKS Motion is a design software for mechanical system simulation. Embedded in the SOLIDWORKS interface, it enables engineers to model 3D mechanical system as virtual prototypes.)
  • Imported temperature and pressure from Flow Simulation (SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation is a software based on advanced Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) techniques. It allows you to analyze a wide range of complex flows with a wide range of flow characteristics.)
To modify the properties of an existing study, right-click on its icon in the Simulation study tree and select Properties.