Femap Express Analysis Help

[ProDarwin]

I'm trying to analyze a weldment with Femap Express. I have two questions:

1. I've been saving the weldment and a parasolid then re-importing it as a single part. Is there a way around this? Perhaps the full version of Femap? Does it let you analyze assemblies? If so, how much does that cost?

2. When I try to analyze the weldment as a single part, I have to use boolean operations to unite all the components but keep getting a zero-manifold thickness failure. Is there a way to make the welds have penetration so I can eliminate this problem?

 

[burhop]

Hi ProDarwin,

You will likely have to find the place where you have zero manifold thickness and fix that. Once you have a good body, then it should work.

For your second question, Solid Edge has a new designer oriented FEA application that does do assemblies and weldments:

http://www.plm.automation.siemens.c...lidedge/overview/add_on_apps/simulation.shtml

I also posted my PLM Connection (PLM World) 2009 slides in this blog post:

http://siemens.pmhclients.com/index.php/solid-edge-simulation-and-plm-world/

 

[ProDarwin]

Thank you for the information. Any idea how much this costs? I just emailed our software rep to get a quote. The ability to analyze assemblies will be a huge step for us. As a matter of fact, single part analysis is kind of useless to us.

 

[burhop]

Yes, Femap Express has some limitations (and I'm being kind).

It's probably best to check your VAR on price. I'm on the development side and they don't always give me the latest information. You can buy it stand alone or as part of the new "Solid Edge Premium" package which includes some other things. That might save you some money too.

Mark

 

[burhop]

Sorry all. I don't mean to be all "markety" but Kenneth Wong of "Desktop Engineering" just did a review of Solid Edge Simulation here:

http://www.deskeng.com/virtual_desktop/?p=1453

Mark

 

[ProDarwin]

Well, we picked up Simulation... its a waste so far. Everything we wanted it for seems to be an exception... can't do Traditional parts, can't do traditional assemblies, can't do a weldment, can't do a frame, etc.

I converted a bunch of stuff to synchronous and I'm still fighting with it. Sadly, it would have been quicker to part copy and add interferences to analyze in femap express

 

[burhop]

ProDarwin,

You can do Traditional parts and Traditional assemblies, and weldments. You just just bring it into a sync assembly. This has the added advantage of separating your FEA data in another file.

Since it was our first release, we couldn't do everything. For example, you need a different type of element for frames. I talked to a number of customers and almost everyone had tet meshing followed by 2D plate meshes (for sheetmetal) as the things we needed to start with.

If you can, make an enhancement request to GTAC if frames are really important to your company. I have a few requests now but more requests in other areas. Customer requests carry more weight and we are looking VERY closely at these as we plan out what we do for ST3, ST4 etc.

We are also "full steam ahead" for ST3.

Mark

 

[ProDarwin]

I only said the above because that's what I was told by the company that sold it to us... after we purchased it. How do I bring it into a sync assembly? Just make a sync assembly and add my trad. assembly to it? Open to ideas. I'd love to get this working right w/o having to use synchronous parts.

Right now I'm working with my "converted" assembly and I'm getting the can't-mesh error

 

[ProDarwin]

This is the exact message: "Solve failed due to Mesh size and/or geometry complexity. Change the Mesh size or modify the Study by setting the "Geometry check" option to "Warning only" and then solve again."

I brought my trad. assembly into a sync. assembly. Do connectors have an effect on the above error? I can't quite figure out how to use them, and auto always results in no connections found.

 

[burhop]

Yes, just go to the application menu in the top left and pick New/Create Assembly and pick a sync assembly. It can work with the tradition parts, sync parts or traditional assemblies (with weldments, assembly level features, etc.)

The mesh problem you got is almost always because of some super small sliver, spike, tiny edge, etc. They often come from very small rounds where some blending is happening. You can set mesh controls for a finer mesh around these locations.

If you want, you can send me the part and I'll take a look (mark.burhop A T siemens.com)

Mark

 

[burhop]

Almost forgot.

No, connectors don't matter when it comes to meshing, only the geometry.

 

[flipeng]

I have been trying to use Femap Express and it will not work correctly!

We are on Solid Edge version 100.00.06.03 (Also known as Solid Edge ST). I have tried everything mentioned in the thread of your discussion. NOTHING has worked. I even built a square beam and tried to simulate a simple cantilevered beam. It would not even do this stress calculation. I got an error message saying that Femap Express could not calculate the mesh and that I should use Femap?? Ridiculous! Seems like a "Bait and Switch"!

A colleague of mine told me that he has had the same experience. He told me that it worked in version 20 but does not work now. I do not know if this is true.

Unfortunately, our management is too stupid to pay for support so I have no way to get help. Any comments you can make about this would be appreciate. I am mad about the time I have already wasted trying to find a solution to this problem!

 

[burhop]

So no parts work at all, or just your beam? If its just your beam, can you post a copy or give the dimensions?

Nothing has really changed with Femap Express so if anything doesn't work in a new version that does with an old version its a bug that needs to be fixed.

Mark

 

[flipeng]

No part files are working at all. Since I posted to this thread, I think I found my answer. See;

http://www.solidedge.co.za/solid-ed...fea/topic-59-femap-express-error-message.html

This message says that there is/was a bug in the Solid Edge/Nastran relationship. Unfortunately, our company, at least at my location has...chosen not to pay for maintenance/support. Thereby, we have not been able to load patches and install them. So... I guess I have to do the work around until our management wises up and pays for support so we can implement the newest repairs to the programs. Hopefully that trick will work for now.

A true example of "penny wise and pound foolish".

 

[beachcomber]

Just because you haven'y paid for future uprades that shouldn't mean you can't get a patch for the version you have paid for.

bc.
2.4GHz Core2 Quad, 4GB RAM,
Quadro FX4600.

Where would we be without sat-nav?

 

[burhop]

You can get a fix here:

http://support.ugs.com/issues/nx_nastran.shtml

Since you are not on maintenance, you can go to the bottom where it says "NX Nastran Users Not Under Maintenance". It will ask your sold to ID and some other things.

After you get in, look for the Solid Edge Patch for your version.

Good Luck,

Mark