Defining a Temperature Load

You can use the Temperature PropertyManager to apply a temperature load for structural, thermal, and nonlinear analyses.

To define a Temperature load:

  1. In a structural or thermal study tree, right-click Thermal Loads and click Temperature . Do one of the following:
    • Click Simulation > Loads/Fixture > Temperature.
    • In the Simulation toolbar, click Thermal Loads > Temperature .
    The Temperature PropertyManager appears.
  2. Under Type, select Temperature.
  3. Select the faces, edges, vertices, and components to apply a prescribed temperature. To apply a prescribed temperature to a whole body meshed with solid elements, select the whole body.
    For beams and trusses, select Joints to apply a concentrated temperature, or Beams to apply a distributed temperature load along the length of bodies.
    To select all faces exposed to the outside at once, click Select all exposed faces. To delete a face, right-click the face and select Delete.
  4. Under Temperature , do the following:
    1. Set Units to the units you want to use to enter the temperature value.
    2. Set Temperature to the required temperature value. The software applies to the model a temperature change DT = Input temperature - Reference temperature at zero strain.
  5. For nonlinear or transient thermal studies, you can define a time-dependent temperature boundary condition.
    Under Variation with Time, click Use Time Curve to define or import a time curve. The temperature at any time is calculated by multiplying the specified temperature value by the Y value of the time curve.
  6. Under Symbol Settings, click Edit color and pick a color for the temperature symbols and use the spin arrows to control the size of the symbols.
  7. Click .