Mesh Elements in Workbench

[jact]

Hello everyone,


I'm currently trying to validate an exercise in ANSYS Workbench that involves an extremely thin I-Beam. You can check it in the following link if necessary:

http://www.kxcad.net/ansys/ANSYS/ansyshelp/Hlp_V_VM134.html

Problem is, I can't mesh it automatically in Workbench and I don't know how to change the element. I need to add a BEAM24 element to the mesh, and i've read several help topics from this forum, but I still couldn't figure it out. I know I have to input it through code, but how?

Thanks in advance!
Jact

 

[Calcul8it]

Hi

Going to repeat what is written in this forum topic a few times. Have you tried adding a command to the line body you want to be a Beam24?

Right click on the body in Workbench Mechanical -> add command -> write "et, matid, 24" (maybe matid can be replaced with an element type number of your choice).

It should convert the element type of that body to beam24 (probably from the default Beam188) just before Ansys goes to solving. Check the output file in the tree in Mechanical to see if Ansys could do the conversion and later in the file that Beam24 elements are part of the elements in the solution. I have a suspicion that some older/legacy element types are not supported in Workbench/new versions of Ansys, but I have no experience with element type Beam24.

Good luck

Christian Hansen
Twitter: @ChrHansen

FEA consulting made easy -

http://www.calcul8.it

 

[jact]

Hi Christian,


First of all, thank you for your reply, but I think i'll need a little bit more of your patience. Bare with me.


I've inserted a command to the solid i'm testing. I guess this is what you mean by "body". Afterwards, I typed exactly what you wrote in the command window. After running my Deformation test, I checked the Solver Output and noticed this error:


*** ERROR *** CP = 1.388 TIME= 11:11:42
Element type 1 is not the same shape as BEAM24. Switching to a
different shape is not allowed while elements of type 1 exist.


NUMBER OF WARNING MESSAGES ENCOUNTERED= 0
NUMBER OF ERROR MESSAGES ENCOUNTERED= 1



***** PROBLEM TERMINATED BY INDICATED ERROR(S) OR BY END OF INPUT DATA *****


This means that I was able to insert the BEAM24 element that I wanted, but I get no results due to this error. What are these elements of type 1, and how can I remove them?

Cheers!
Jact

 

[Calcul8it]

Hi Jact

Actually, when I wrote "body" I meant specifically "body" in Ansys Workbench terminology. A body can be a line body, a surface body, or a solid body.

I was assuming the body, on which you added the command, was a line body since you wanted to convert it to a Beam24 and I don't think you can convert a solid to a beam element type - even if you could it wouldn't make much sense to me.

The error command "Element type 1 is not the same shape as BEAM24 ... " also suggests that the body you wished to convert to Beam24 is not a line body. I looked up the element definitions and type one is Link1 (

http://www1.ansys.com/customer/content/documentation/120/ans_elem.pdf

page 159), but if your body was a solid I wouldn't put too much trust in the content of the error message.

If Beam24 is what you want, I would make a line body in DesignModeler, apply a cross-section to that line body (also in DesignModeler) and add "et, matid, beam24" command in Ansys Mechanical.

Christian Hansen
Twitter: @ChrHansen



FEA consulting made easy -

http://www.calcul8.it