StrEng007
Structural
- Aug 22, 2014
- 543
I'm new to programs like Solidworks and ANSYS and need some clarification on how other engineers are using them to determine a pass/fail criteria for their materials. I am a structural engineer and all of my designs require that I conform to certain design specifications/manuals as set forth by the governing building code. These manuals provide the ability to determine the available stress (ASD/LRFD) of a material based on its physical properties and geometric (cross-sectional) properties. In many situations, the allowable stresses for structural members are well below the threshold of the material’s yield stress as a result of its cross section (think light gauge slender columns).
I understand that FEA programs will allow you to determine the stresses in your materials based on an element mesh analysis. From that point, you compare these stresses (principal or von mises) to yield or ultimate stress values of the material with an applied factor of safety. Pending the ratio of these stress values, is this the pass/fail criteria you use to satisfy your design? What about your members that are subject to buckling or torsion that would typically fail well below yield? Do these programs have the ability to foresee these limit states?
I currently use structural analysis programs that have the ability to apply loads to structural members. I can determine a pass/fail criteria for each member so long as it's a fairly common cross section that is covered by the scope of that particular design standard. Think of it as though the member was "catalogued" and the design aid within the program is performing those limit state checks for you. My issue here is that I cannot create custom members and have the program perform the same task. Instead, I have to compare either my required force reactions or stresses to allowable member reactions. Does Solidworks or ANSYS offer a faster way around this?
I understand that FEA programs will allow you to determine the stresses in your materials based on an element mesh analysis. From that point, you compare these stresses (principal or von mises) to yield or ultimate stress values of the material with an applied factor of safety. Pending the ratio of these stress values, is this the pass/fail criteria you use to satisfy your design? What about your members that are subject to buckling or torsion that would typically fail well below yield? Do these programs have the ability to foresee these limit states?
I currently use structural analysis programs that have the ability to apply loads to structural members. I can determine a pass/fail criteria for each member so long as it's a fairly common cross section that is covered by the scope of that particular design standard. Think of it as though the member was "catalogued" and the design aid within the program is performing those limit state checks for you. My issue here is that I cannot create custom members and have the program perform the same task. Instead, I have to compare either my required force reactions or stresses to allowable member reactions. Does Solidworks or ANSYS offer a faster way around this?
