Accurate Design Simulations

Improve Product Development

White Paper

SUMMARY
Creating innovative products requires insights into design performance, and design
engineers who can predict design behavior are more efficient, innovative, and
successful. With SOLIDWORKS Simulation 3D CAD integrated analysis solutions,
you can intuitively, accurately, and cost-effectively simulate how a product will
perform, enabling you to dimension precisely and optimize designs while reducing
prototyping and time-consuming trials processes. SOLIDWORKS Simulation allows
you to accurately solve complex analysis problems, helping you overcome time,
budget, and quality challenges.
HOW SIMULATION ACCURACY BENEFITS PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT
Developing successful products demands innovation, reliability, and speed. As a design
engineer, you not only must satisfy form, fit, and function requirements, you must also create
unique, dependable, and manufacturable product designs faster and at lower cost. To achieve
these goals, you need to have as much information as early as possible about how your design
will perform under real-world operating conditions without resorting to costly, time-consuming
rounds of physical prototype testing or outsourced simulations.
“I can solve a nonlinear simulation
With integrated SOLIDWORKS Simulation solutions, you can run accurate FEA simulations right problem that used to take a week
inside SOLIDWORKS CAD software, giving you fast access to structural analysis results early in in a few hours. With that kind of
the development process, such as stress level, deformed shape, product lifespan, etc. With this speed, I can quickly optimize and
vital information, you can make critical design decisions that help you: deliver a design that will perform.”
• Create product innovations
• Reduce prototyping David R. Caldwell
Project Engineer
• Accelerate time-to-market
Smithsonian Astrophysical
• Optimize material usage Observatory
• Eliminate design uncertainty
• Minimize field performance issue
• Decrease warranty claims and returns
• Boosts profitability.
With its intuitive user interface, powerful solvers, and extensive analysis capabilities,
SOLIDWORKS Simulation gives you an integrated design analysis solution that is not only faster
and easier to use, but also just as accurate as any other simulation package. This paper will
examine analysis accuracy and how the unique combination of precision, ease of use, and power
in SOLIDWORKS Simulation software can benefit your product development effort.

ACCURATELY SIMULATING THE EFFECTS OF THE SOLAR WIND

The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO), part of the
Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CFA), works with
leading astrophysicists and scientists on the development of cutting-
edge research instruments and systems. SAO leverages SOLIDWORKS
Simulation Premium software to tackle some of the most difficult
engineering challenges, such as mankind’s first visit to a star.
The U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Solar
Probe Plus (SPP) will launch in 2018. The car-sized spacecraft will
plunge directly into the sun’s atmosphere. SAO’s role is to develop the
Solar Wind Electrons Alphas and Protons (SWEAP) payload, including
a Faraday sensor that will measure the properties of electrons,
protons, and helium ions in the solar wind. What makes the project so
challenging is that the sensor resides on the exterior of the spacecraft,
where it will be subjected to intense heat and radiation.
“The sensor operates in an environment so extreme that we have to
use integrated analysis tools,” says Project Engineer David R. Caldwell.
“We recently ran prototype tests at the Solar Wind Facility at the
Marshall Space Flight Center, and the sensor performed as predicted by
our SOLIDWORKS simulations.
“With space flight systems, weight is critical,” Caldwell adds.
“SOLIDWORKS Simulation Premium gives us the information we need
to change thicknesses or materials and truly optimize our designs.”

Accurate Design Simulations Improve Product Development 1

HOW ACCURATELY DOES FEA SIMULATE REALITY?
In general, FEA systems utilize the finite element method, a discrete numerical technique for
approximating solutions to boundary value problems for the differential equations that govern
physics and engineering. The model is represented as a discretization of the geometry—meshing
the geometry with elements. Because FEA solutions, regardless of the package, are based
on the finite element method, their solutions will always be an approximation—close enough
to provide the accuracy required to make important design decisions but never perfectly
100-percent reflective of reality—and include a discretization error. “SOLIDWORKS Simulation allows us
FEA solvers utilize computational algorithms to generate differential equations for each to understand the influence of
component from design geometry, constraints, material properties, and loads. They then underwater pressure and forces
convert the differential equations into matrix equations for each element to generate a global during design, which saves time
matrix equation for the model. This is generally solved using direct-sparse or iterative solvers: and money.”
direct-sparse solvers use the Gaussian elimination method to solve the global matrix equation;
iterative solvers use the domain-decomposition method. Stephanie Griffin Peña
Project Engineer
The mathematical underpinnings of FEA mean that engineers must accurately apply loads
Watershot, Inc.
and boundary conditions in order to get as close to the real answer as you can. Because FEA
represents a close approximation of design performance, simulating reality as accurately as
possible demands that the analysis problem is set up correctly.
The real question regarding how accurately FEA simulates reality is: How accurate do you need
to be? In most cases, being within ±5 percent will provide the necessary insights for making the
right design decisions.

ACCURATE SIMULATIONS FACILITATE WATERPROOF

ENCLOSURE DEVELOPMENT
Watershot, Inc., designs and manufactures waterproof enclosures
for use on cameras by professional underwater photographers and
cinematographers, and for use on smartphones by scuba, snorkel, and
free-dive enthusiasts. The company relies on SOLIDWORKS Simulation
analysis software to ensure that its watertight enclosures withstand
the pressures and forces associated with various depths underwater.
The company’s engineers have come to value the intuitive integration
of SOLIDWORKS CAD and FEA software because it accelerates
development. With SOLIDWORKS integrated design analysis tools,
Watershot can rapidly create design concepts and simulate their
performance at various depths underwater. Because Watershot
engineers can accurately simulate product behavior, they can refine
designs while avoiding costly prototypes.
For example, during development of the waterproof enclosure for the
iPhone 4, tooling samples revealed that the enclosure pressed against
the smartphone’s touch screen at a certain depth, preventing the
phone from functioning. SOLIDWORKS Simulation software enabled
Watershot to solve this classic deflection problem and optimize the
design without making substantial tooling changes.
“We’ve periodically looked at other development solutions, but
SOLIDWORKS has always come out on top,” stresses Project Engineer
Stephanie Griffin Peña. “The software provides everything we need,
and the way that Simulation works with the CAD package really
streamlines the process.”

Accurate Design Simulations Improve Product Development 2

WHAT CAN YOU SIMULATE?
Finite Element Analysis (FEA) and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation technology
allows you to use computer-based, mathematical modeling to approximate and simulate the
complex phenomena of the physical universe, including structural, heat transfer, fluid flow, and
dynamic behaviors.

Structural Analysis
You can use FEA software to simulate the various behaviors involved with solid mechanics. Will
the stresses created within a structure—whether it’s a machine component or a bridge truss—
under operational loads cause it to break, buckle, yield, or deform? What are a structure’s natural
frequencies and how will they impact design performance? What about displacement, vibration,
or fatigue? When creating designs in which two or more components come in contact with one
another, you can discover how this contact affects design performance. You can also conduct
kinematics studies and use those results to learn important load information for running
subsequent structural analyses.

Structural Analysis provides Stress distribution to identify critical areas

Accurate Design Simulations Improve Product Development 3

Thermal Analysis
Understanding how heat transfer impacts design performance is important for an increasing
number of products for safety and performance reasons. Many materials have temperature-
dependent properties, and you can use simulation software to simulate different types of heat
transfer—including conduction, convection, or radiation—and calculate heat transfer within
and between components in your design and its environment. You can simulate transient
and steady-state effects. Thermal problems can be solved using either structural or fluid flow
analysis. In a thermal structural analysis, the effect of moving air or liquid becomes a load or
boundary condition. In a fluid flow analysis, you can calculate the thermal effects of moving
fluids, whether it’s a liquid or a gas.

Thermal Analysis helps Product Engineers to predict overheating issues early in the design process

Computational Fluid Dynamics Analysis

You can use computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis software to meet the continually
growing need to understand how the behavior and dynamics of fluids—either liquids or gases—
affect design performance. Although initially used primarily as an alternative to expensive
wind-tunnel testing for improving the aerodynamics of aircraft and automobiles, SOLIDWORKS
Flow Simulation CFD analysis technology is now increasingly used to evaluate other flow-
related issues, such as validating sufficient cooling of electronics; maximizing the performance
of heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems; and refining other flow-based
manufacturing processes.

Thermal Analysis helps Product Engineers to predict overheating issues early in the design process

Accurate Design Simulations Improve Product Development 4

Linear or Nonlinear FEA
Although you can use linear FEA analysis tools to simulate the behavior of many types of
designs, some physical phenomena are nonlinear in nature. In other words, the physical
response is disproportionate to the applied loads and boundary conditions. Whenever you are
dealing with nonlinear materials such as rubber or plastic, nonlinear geometries, nonlinear
interactions between parts, or nonlinear loads and boundary conditions, you need to run
nonlinear FEA analyses to improve the accuracy of the approximation.

“With the accurate simulations

provided by SOLIDWORKS, there’s
really no need to build a prototype
and test.”

Subhash Bidwai
General Manager
DEMECH Esscano Power India
Pvt. Ltd.

SIMULATION ACCURACY DRIVES ENTRY INTO INDUSTRIAL DAMPER MARKET

The need to restrict gases and liquids in many factories and plants—including power plants,
steel mills, cement plants, petrochemical facilities, and other process-related operations—
makes industrial dampers a necessity. DEMECH Esscano Power India Pvt. Ltd. (DEP), a joint
venture of Esscano Power A/S Denmark and Deccan Mechanical & Chemical Industries Pvt.
Ltd., was founded to meet the challenging requirements for damper technology.
DEP designs and manufactures many types of industrial dampers, including multilouver
dampers, butterfly dampers, sliding dampers, and other variants. The company has quickly
attained a prominent role in the industrial damper market, introducing new concepts that
offer performance and cost advantages.
Using SOLIDWORKS Simulation Premium and SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation software, DEP has
eliminated the need to prototype and test its systems. The company relies on SOLIDWORKS
simulation tools to support its goal of producing dampers that are 99.95 to 100 percent efficient.
“We started using SOLIDWORKS simulation for calculating thermal expansion of the blades
while working under extremely high temperatures,” says General Manager Subhash Bidwai.
“We need to provide adequate clearances to account for this expansion while still preventing
leaks that hamper efficiency. With the accurate simulations provided by SOLIDWORKS,
there’s really no need to build a prototype and test.”

Accurate Design Simulations Improve Product Development 5

Q & A WITH FEA EXPERT DR. PAWEL M. KUROWSKI
Dr. Pawel M. Kurowski, an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Engineering at the
University of Western Ontario, is a leading expert in the fields of product design, design
analysis, and solid mechanics. Prior to becoming a professor, Dr. Kurowski worked
for over 20 years as a design and R&D engineer in automotive, defense, and heavy
equipment industries.

Why did you decide to standardize on SOLIDWORKS Simulation solutions as

the preferred tool for your engineering curriculum?
I am a huge proponent of design engineers using FEA tools because they have the most
complete understanding of a product’s operating environment and design intent, and are
in the best position to use FEA to optimize designs early in the process. We standardized
on SOLIDWORKS Simulation software because it is completely integrated with and directly
interfaced to the SOLIDWORKS 3D modeling environment, making the solution easier to
learn and use.

How do you utilize SOLIDWORKS Simulation software in your engineering

program?
We use SOLIDWORKS Simulation in our undergraduate and graduate FEA courses. One
of these courses—Advanced Computer-Aided Engineering (CAE)—combines the use of
SOLIDWORKS Simulation, SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation and SOLIDWORKS Motion
Simulation to examine different types of physical phenomena that can affect design
performance. The software’s powerful range of capabilities allows students to interrogate
design behavior from all angles, whether it be structural, fluid flow, thermal, motion,
vibration, design for manufacturability, or sustainability. SOLIDWORKS Simulation and
SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation provide the widest range of FEA and CFD capabilities within
a single-window design and analysis environment. By using SOLIDWORKS Simulation
software, we provide students with a sound foundation in numerical design analysis.

Does CAD integration and ease of use make SOLIDWORKS Simulation any less
powerful than other FEA packages?
No. Actually, the opposite is the case. SOLIDWORKS Simulation is more powerful than
other FEA packages because it is easier to learn and faster to use. All FEA programs are
based on the finite element method, and the math is pretty much the same underneath.
SOLIDWORKS Simulation excels because its integration with CAD modeling, intuitive user
interface, well-designed solvers, mesh controls, and range of analysis types are superior.

Did making SOLIDWORKS Simulation easy to use make it any less accurate?
No. Just because the software is easy to use doesn’t mean that it’s been dumbed down
or made to be less accurate. Accuracy in FEA depends on properly defining the problem,
gaining an understanding of the type of analysis to be run, and maintaining the integrity
of the mathematical model. No FEA program is 100-percent accurate because they all
utilize the same numerical discretization techniques. In terms of accuracy, SOLIDWORKS
Simulation is just as strong as anything else. I would argue that because SOLIDWORKS
Simulation is easier to use, it makes accurately setting up the analysis problem more
straightforward, leading to more accurate results.

Accurate Design Simulations Improve Product Development 6

How can users increase the accuracy of FEA results?
There are two areas that can influence accuracy in FEA packages. One is correctly setting
up the problem by using the correct type of analysis, inputting accurate material properties,
loads, and boundary conditions, and selecting the right elements for the type of analysis
that you are running. The other is controlling the size of the discretization error using
adaptive methods and mesh controls. Discretization error is inherent in FEA; you can control
it manually with mesh controls or automatically by using h-adaptive or p-adaptive meshing.
In SOLIDWORKS Simulation, you can use these techniques to refine the automatically
generated mesh in areas of interest. The h-adaptive approach increases the number of
elements in the area of interest to increase accuracy while the p-adaptive technique
increases the order of the polynomials used to approximate the displacement field for
elements in areas with high estimated errors to improve accuracy.

How accurate do FEA results need to be?

That’s the question that design engineers should ask themselves before running an analysis.
Accuracy depends on:
1. How well the problem has been defined in terms of the type of analysis, material
properties, boundary conditions, etc. We call this modeling error. Problem definition
and the associated modeling error are external to FEA. Control of modeling error is a
matter of correct defining the problem.
2. How well the problem has been discretized. This is called discretization error.
In most cases, accuracy within a few percent is sufficient, but SOLIDWORKS
Simulation gives you tools to make it as low as you wish—from simple manual mesh
refinements to advanced automatic h-adaptive solutions.
3. How well the problem has been solved. This is the numerical round-off error
accumulated by the solver. In SOLIDWORKS Simulation, this error is minimized by
the use of fast and well-designed solvers.

Accurate Design Simulations Improve Product Development 7

Does element type affect accuracy?
Of course, it does. For example, a thin shell element models linear distribution of in-plane stresses
across its thickness. Using this element to model a wall where in-plane stresses do not have
linear distribution across the thickness will produce incorrect results. A 2D plane stress element
assumes constant stress across its thickness. If we use it to model a problem where stresses do
change across the thickness, we’ll again produce incorrect results. The list of “element abuse” is
long, and we always have to select elements that are able to model the expected pattern of stress
distribution. This applies to any FEA program. An element on its own is neither “accurate” nor
“inaccurate”. The term “accuracy” applies to the mesh built out of finite elements.
“We are amazed by the precision of
Which are more accurate: Brick or Tetrahedral (Tet) elements? SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation.
To understand why some FEA users say that hexahedral (brick) elements are more accurate With its dead-on precision, we can
than tetrahedral (tet) elements, we have to travel back in time to the early 1980s. Back quickly evaluate innovative
then, FEA programs ran on very slow computers by today’s standards. Analysts had to limit approaches.”
the size of a model—which meant using large, first-order elements—just to make it run. For
that purpose, first-order brick elements offered significant advantages over first-order tet Marcel Tremblay
elements of the same size. This is because the first-order brick elements model second-order Director of Mechanical
field of displacement and linear field of stress, while the first-order tet elements model linear Engineering FLIR Systems, Inc.
field of displacement and constant stress. Consequently, first-order brick elements behave
as second-order tet elements. If you wanted to use tets instead of bricks, you had to use
second-order tet elements or first-order tet elements of smaller size. Both options were
difficult to implement on 1980s-era computers.
Today, nobody uses first-order elements anymore. Large meshes are easily created
by auto-meshers, and problems are quickly solved by efficient solvers. The ubiquitous
second-order tet elements model second-order field of displacement and first-order field
of stress. In modern FEA programs brick elements no longer have any advantages over
tets. There remains the question of the aesthetics of a mesh. Many people find brick
meshes more aesthetically pleasing even though nicely shaped bricks on the outside
faces of the model may hide highly distorted brick or tet elements inside.

FEA intimidates some design engineers. Why?

Because many FEA packages are so difficult to use, it’s extremely challenging for design
engineers to obtain meaningful results with them without a lengthy period of intensive
training. This is why SOLIDWORKS Simulation software is my preferred FEA solution. It
makes it easier to set up analysis problems and generate accurate, meaningful results. With
SOLIDWORKS Simulation software, engineers can be up and running after a couple hours of
introductory training.

PRECISE SIMULATION RESULTS SPARK THERMAL IMAGING

CAMERA INNOVATIONS
FLIR Systems, Inc., is the world’s leading manufacturer of thermal imaging infrared cameras. The company
relies on SOLIDWORKS Simulation Premium and SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation software to develop new
maritime, security, and handheld thermal imaging applications.
For example, during the development of the M Series maritime pan-and-tilt camera, engineers had to decrease
the height of the initial design by 1.5 inches, resulting in a temperature rise above the motor’s specification.
FLIR made a series of design changes and ran coupled flow/thermal analyses. The process allowed FLIR to
modify the design to shave 23ºC off the temperature (a 6ºC cushion) without building a single prototype.
“The M Series camera shows how powerful using coupled flow/thermal analysis is,” says Director of
Mechanical Engineering Marcel Tremblay. “It’s all about the air inside, and a coupled flow/thermal analysis
is more accurate than just conduction or convection. It allows us to simulate various scenarios to better
understand where the low hanging fruit is in terms of design changes without actually prototyping the design.
This represented months of time savings.
“SOLIDWORKS is the perfect combination of ease of use and power,” Tremblay says. “The CAD system makes
modeling easy and the simulation tools allow us to optimize, refine, and improve the reliability of designs.”

Accurate Design Simulations Improve Product Development 8

SOLIDWORKS SIMULATION: ACCURACY + INTUITIVENESS = POWER
SOLIDWORKS Simulation solutions carry the greatest potential for improving your product
development process because of their unique combination of ease of use, speed, accuracy, and
power. With SOLIDWORKS Simulation software, you have access to a versatile array of analysis
capabilities—including solver, mesh, and results communication tools—directly from within the
SOLIDWORKS CAD modeling environment.

Capabilities
SOLIDWORKS Simulation solution provides a complete range of analysis types to meet virtually
any simulation need, including:
• Structural Analysis form simple linear to highly nonlinear problems
• Linear and nonlinear vibration analysis
• Thermal Analysis–steady state and transient
• Fatigue life analysis
• Fluid Flow Analysis
• Motion Simulation
• Coupled-Field Multiphysics Analysis where the above capabilities are combined

The SOLIDWORKS Simulation solution also allows you to run many kinds of studies within these
analysis types, including:
• Static (Stress)
• Frequency
• Buckling
• Fatigue
• Vibration
• Contact
• Assembly
• Nonlinear
• Dynamic
• Modal time history
• Harmonic
• Random Vibration
• Response spectrum
• Design Optimization
• Kinematics and Dynamics
• Plastic and Rubber Components
• Fluid Flow
• Electronics Thermal Management
• Thermal Comfort Factors
• Coupled Thermal-Structural
• Coupled Thermal-Fluid
• Plastic Mold-Filling
• Sustainability

Accurate Design Simulations Improve Product Development 9

Meshers
SOLIDWORKS Simulation software allows you to take advantage of its fast automatic mesher
as well as flexible and powerful mesh refinement tools, including h-adaptive and p-adaptive
capabilities for improving simulation accuracy. You can choose to create solid, shell, beam,
or mixed mesh types according to your geometry. You can also choose between 3D and 2D
representations of your problem. The tight integration of SOLIDWORKS Simulation inside
SOLIDWORKS CAD enable the automatic translation of geometry type into mesh type;
weldments into beam, surface into shells.
“As we design products, we need to
Solvers be able to run a range of
SOLIDWORKS Simulation FEA software enables you to utilize either direct or iterative solving simulation studies—from
methods with its Direct Sparse or FFEPlus solvers. The software will automatically select the complicated contact finite element
best solver for your particular analysis. For example, the software will use the Direct Sparse analysis to design optimization,
Solver for static, frequency, buckling, and thermal studies, and will default to the FFEPlus sensitivity, motion analysis, and
iterative solver for nonlinear and contact analyses. For large models—with millions of degrees of fatigue studies. We needed an FEA
freedom (DOF), the large Direct Sparse Solver will be used automatically. solution that can not only handle
all of these types of analyses, but
Results Communication also produce accurate results right
Once you’ve run an analysis study that you want to document, SOLIDWORKS Simulation away. That solution is
software lets you automatically generate an engineering report based on results. You can SOLIDWORKS Simulation
quickly and easily create animations to highlight the results of structural, thermal, motion, and Premium.”
fluid-flow studies. You can also save out analysis results in a compact SOLIDWORKS eDrawings
file, which allows you to communicate results via email, tablets, and smartphones.
Dr. Steve Jia
CAD Integration Chief Engineer, CAE
What truly differentiates SOLIDWORKS Simulation software from other FEA packages is its Technologies and Materials
complete integration inside the SOLIDWORKS CAD modeling environment. With SOLIDWORKS Engineering
Simulation, there’s no need to import or export models to either run an analysis or modify Litens Automotive Group
models based on simulation results, and then run the analysis again. Because all FEA and CFD
simulations take place within the SOLIDWORKS CAD modeling environment, you can more
efficiently leverage Simulation during the initial design phase. You can also take advantage
of CAD tools such as design configurations to run a family of analyses on a single model, a
single analysis on a family of models, or some mixture of the two. You can also leverage the
CAD data—such as material properties, parts positioning (mates), or fastener definitions—to
streamline the setup of your simulations.

FAST, ACCURATE SIMULATIONS ACCELERATE TRANSMISSION SYSTEMS DESIGN

Litens Automotive Group is the global leader in the design and manufacture of engineered power
transmission systems and components. A tier 1 supplier to the automotive industry, Litens has
maintained its market leadership position by continuously developing innovative products that solve
vehicle performance and noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH) challenges.
By using SOLIDWORKS Simulation Premium software to conduct simulations as an integral part of the
design process, Litens has reduced prototyping iterations and associated costs, while accelerating its
development process. The company’s engineers conduct very complicated contact analyses—as well as
kinematics, dynamics, fatigue, displacement, and thermal simulations—directly within the SOLIDWORKS
design environment.
“Time is the critical factor, and with the fast solver in SOLIDWORKS Simulation Premium software,
we can solve a full-assembly contact analysis in a couple of hours. Who else can do that?” says
Chief Engineer Dr. Steve Jia. “When you consider the time and prototyping costs that virtual product
development using CAE helps us save, it amounts to millions of dollars each year.
“The beauty of SOLIDWORKS Simulation Premium software is that it offers a robust mesher,
a fast solver, and the ability to handle very large assembly simulations with very complicated
contact situations easily,” Dr. Jia adds. “We’ve realized outstanding ROI (return on investment) with
SOLIDWORKS Simulation Premium and rely on the software for our daily work.”

Accurate Design Simulations Improve Product Development 10

VERIFYING SOLIDWORKS SIMULATION ACCURACY
You can verify the accuracy of SOLIDWORKS Simulation results through verification problems
and benchmarks from the National Agency for Finite Element Methods and Standards
(NAFEMS), which are included with the software. SOLIDWORKS Simulation software includes
verification problems for all types of analysis, which compare SOLIDWORKS Simulation FEA
results to known analytical solutions. The software also includes NAFEMS benchmarks for
static, thermal, nonlinear, frequency, and linear dynamic studies. NAFEMS benchmarks
document the accuracy of analysis results for all commercially available FEA packages. Examples
of SOLIDWORKS Simulation and NAFEMS verification problems follow.

Bending of a Cantilever Beam

Description
Calculate the maximum deflection and maximum rotation (θ) of a cantilever beam loaded
by a shear force of magnitude 1 lbf acting on the free end of the cantilever. The length of
the cantilever is 10” and the dimensions of its cross section are 1”X1”. The cantilever beam
is modeled as two identical cantilevers connected at their common interface with a Bonded
contact condition.

Study Type
Static

Mesh Type
Solid mesh and Beam mesh in separate
studies

Material Properties
Modulus of elasticity = 1 X 106 psi,
Poisson’s ratio = 0.4

Results
SOLIDWORKS SOLIDWORKS
Theory
Simulation Solid Mesh Simulation Beam Mesh

Displacement at the free

-0.004 -0.004 -0.004
end (UX), in

Rotation at the free end

-0.0006 NA -0.0006
(RY), rad

Analytical Solution
Displacement at free end: UX = (2* P*L3 ) / ( 6* E*I )
End rotation: θ = 3 * UX / (2*L)

where:
• P: Shear force
• L: Beam length
• E: Modulus of elasticity
• I: Area moment of inertia

Accurate Design Simulations Improve Product Development 11

Frequencies of a Triangular Wing
Description
Calculate the natural frequencies of a right-angle isosceles triangle wing. The equal sides of the
triangle are 6” in long and the thickness is 0.034”. One of the equal sides of the triangle is fixed.

Study Type
Frequency

Mesh Type
Shell mesh

Material Parameters
Shell thickness = 0.034 in - Thin formulation

Material Properties
Modulus of elasticity = 6.5 x 106 psi,
Poisson’s ratio = 0.3541, Density = 0.06411 lb/in3

Results
SOLIDWORKS Simulation (Hz)
Frequency No. Theory (Hz)
Draft mesh High quality mesh
1 55.9 55.917 55.925
2 210.9 211.130 211.363
3 293.5 292.701 293.198

Reference
“ASME Pressure Vessel and Piping 1972 Computer Programs Verification, by I.S. Tuba and W. B.
Wright, ASME Publication I-24, Problem 2.

Accurate Design Simulations Improve Product Development 12

Steady State Heat Flow in an Orthotropic Plate
Description
A 1mX2mX0.1m rectangular plate is generating heat at a rate of Q = 100 w/m3.
Two adjacent edges are insulated and the two other edges are dissipating heat to the
atmosphere at 0º C. The plate has orthotropic properties. Determine the steady state
temperature distribution in the plate.

Study Type
Steady state thermal analysis.

Mesh Type
Shell mesh.

Shell Parameters
Shell thickness = 0.1 m – Thin shell formulation.

Material Properties and Other Inputs

Thermal conductivity in X = KX = 10 w/(m.K), Thermal
conductivity in Y = KY = 0 w/(m.ºK ). Convection coefficient
along the long edge = h1 = 10 w/m2.K. Convection coefficient
along the short edge = h2 = 1 = 20 w/m2.K.

Modeling Hints
One half of the plate is
modeled. Insulated conditions
are automatic when no other
condition is applied.

Results
The graph of the temperature
variation in the X direction
along the bottom edge of the
model is shown in the figure
below. The graph is in good
agreement with reference
results.

Reference
M. N. Ozisik, “Heat
Conduction,” Wiley, New York,
1980.

Accurate Design Simulations Improve Product Development 13

NAFEMS NONLINEAR ANALYSIS BENCHMARKS
Torsional Buckling of a Cantilever
Determine the tip Z deflection for a cantilever subjected to a constant load of P = 0.017 N along
the Y direction. Fix the edge AB of the cantilever. The problem is solved for the conservative
loading case. A tiny lateral load is added to simulate the applied imperfection for the
incremental nonlinear analysis.

Study Type
Nonlinear static with large displacement
formulation

Mesh Type
Shell mesh

Mesh Size
Use a standard mesh with global element
size of 1.5 mm.

Shell Parameters
Shell thickness = 0.2 mm - Thin shell
formulation

Material Properties
• Elasticity modulus (E) = 10 x 103 N/mm2
• Poisson’s ratio (v) = 0
Results
Define a Workflow Sensitive sensor at the
target location, and use the Probe tool to
plot the graph for the UZ displacement
component. Process the results using
graphing software to generate the graph.
The X-axis shows the UZ displacement
component in mm and Y-axis shows applied
load in N.
The load-deflection curve agrees with the
finite element solution provided in the
reference.

Reference
NAFEMS Publication R0065, The International Association for the Engineering Analysis
Community, “Background to Finite Element Analysis of Geometric
Non-linearity Benchmarks, 1999”.

Accurate Design Simulations Improve Product Development 14

NAFEMS FORCED VIBRATION BENCHMARKS
Simply-Supported Thin
Plate Under Suddenly-
Applied Pressure
Calculate the peak UZ
displacement and bending
stress (SY or SX) at the center
of a simply-supported square
plate of side 10 m and
thickness 0.05 m subjected
to a suddenly-applied normal
pressure of 100 N/m2.

Study Type
Three shell studies are created:

Study Name Study Type

Modal_Damping Linear Dynamics - Transient (modal damping)

Rayleigh_Damping Linear Dynamics - Transient (Rayleigh damping)

Static Static

Mesh Type
Shell mesh for all three studies. Shell thickness = 0.05 m – Thin shell formulation.

Material Properties
Linear elastic isotropic. Modulus of elasticity (E) = 2 x 1011 N/m2,
Mass density (ρ) = 8000 Kg/m3, Poisson’s ratio (ν) = 0.3.

Load
Suddenly-applied normal
pressure load of 100 N/m2 to
the whole face.
Horizontal axis is time (sec) and
vertical axis is pressure (N/m2).

Dynamic Options
• Number of mode
shapes = 16
• Solution time = 1.2 sec
• Time step = 0.002 sec
Damping
• Modal_damping: 2% of
critical damping for all
16 modes
• Rayleigh_damping: Mass
coefficient a0 = 0.299, Stiffness coefficient a1 = 1.339 x 10-3.

Accurate Design Simulations Improve Product Development 15

Results
The UZ displacement and bending stress
response graphs at the center of the plate
are in agreement with the analytical results.
The graph depicts the UZ displacement time
history at the center of the plate. Horizontal
axis is time (sec) and vertical axis is UZ(mm).

SOLIDWORKS Simulation

Reference Modal _Damping Rayleigh_Damping

3.523 mm 3.445 mm 3.457 mm

Peak UZ displacement at center
(t = 0.21 sec) (t = 0.21 sec) (t = 0.21 sec)

Peak bending stress at center 2.484 N/mm2 2.360 N/mm2 2.296 N/mm2

Steady-state displacement
1.817 mm 1.775 mm 1.775 mm
at center

Reference
NAFEMS, Publication R0016, The International Association for the Engineering Analysis
Community, “Selected Benchmarks for Forced Vibration”, Test 13T, 1989.

Accurate Design Simulations Improve Product Development 16

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