Pro/E - DesignSpace - Shells 2

[eaolsen]

I am evaluating DesignSpace for my company. We use Pro/E and analyze large structures of thin plates. We use a lot of shells with our other FEA software to be able to analyze these large models.

I am looking for the best way to create and run a mixed shell/solid assembly in Pro/E and DesignSpace, if it can be done. I have access to Pro/FEM which can compress midplanes.

 

[Drej]

Workbench (WB) will do the job for you, but it's not really a surface modelling tool, more a 3D (brick) modeller. Version 9 has some serious improvements over 8.1 in terms of surfaces (you can now model plane stress/strain structures, whereas previously surfaces could only be modelled with linear shells). If you're talking mixing shell/solids as well, you need to be a pretty proficient user of WB and ANSYS in general. Don't feel as though I'm trying to put you off. WB is an EXCELLENT tool, seamlessly integrating your CAD geometry (either native or otherwise), and is very easy to pick up and use quickly. My advice would be to give it a try for the full month to get a feel for it's capabilities.

As far as creating a mixed shell/solid interface, you would normally have to create CEs to tie the redundant shell DOF together. This is not easy to do in WB, as you have to have knowledge of APDL and CEs in ANSYS. It can be done though (see Prep-processing command builder). I would get your provider to do this as an incentive for you to prove that the software is worth the licence fee.

Cheers,

-- drej --