Underconstrained Bodies PropertyManager

The Underconstrained Bodies tool detects the bodies in a part or assembly that are not sufficiently constrained during simulation and can exhibit rigid body modes.

The Underconstrained Bodies tool is available for static studies.

To open the Underconstrained Bodies PropertyManager, do one of the following:

  • From a static study tree, right-click Connections and click Underconstrained Bodies .
  • From the CommandManager, select Diagnostic Tools, and click Underconstrained Bodies .
Bodies that are not adequately supported by fixtures, connectors, bonded conditions, or contact interactions can translate or rotate freely. A body that is not constrained has six rigid body modes: three translational and three rotational.

In SOLIDWORKS Simulation Professional and SOLIDWORKS Simulation Premium, the underconstrained bodies algorithm, in addition to fixtures and bonded conditions, takes into account the contact interactions that you define in a static study when analyzing rigid body modes.

In SOLIDWORKS Simulation Standard and SOLIDWORKS Premium, the underconstrained bodies algorithm does not consider any contact interactions that you define. In this case, bodies with bolt connectors and contact definitions can be sufficiently constrained for a successful simulation, but are shown in the list of unconstrained bodies under Results.

Calculate Detects the bodies in a part or assembly that exhibit translational or rotational rigid body modes.

In SOLIDWORKS Simulation Standard and SOLIDWORKS Premium, the analysis tool applies a coarse mesh and runs the static study (using the Direct Sparse Solver) with all defined loads, interactions, and boundary conditions.

In SOLIDWORKS Simulation Professional and SOLIDWORKS Simulation Premium, the detection of rigid body modes is faster because the solver performs Singular Value Decomposition (SVD) over the reduced stiffness matrix. See also Advanced Detection of Underconstrained Bodies.

Results

Lists the bodies or group of bodies that exhibit rigid body modes.

Select one of the listed degrees of freedom (for example, Translation 1 or Rotation 1) to view an animated translation or rotation of the underconstrained bodies. A green arrow in the graphics area points to the direction of free movement (translation or rotation).

If no rigid bodies are detected, the solver issues a message that the model is fully constrained.

Stabilize any rigid body modes with the appropriate translational or rotational restraints before you proceed with the analysis. See also: Use Soft Spring to Stabilize Model and Preventing Rigid Body Motion.