Bearing Support/Restraint

Try a 90 degrees arc support instead of point support.
fsi

Have you looked at distributed coupling?

A 90 degree fixed arc support would effectively give some rotational restraint again so I'd avoid that. Distributed coupling I'm not sure of. If it gave a result that gave reaction forces as a sino-soidal distribution around and along the bearing surface of the shaft then that would be ideal. Does this involve spring elements around the shaft of a certain stiffness or contact? If its contact then do you model the bearing as a solid and if so does how do you relate the bearing stiffness, in kN/m, to the bearing model Young's modulus? If coupling is by spring elements then are these applied radially with a stiffness that varies sino-soidally? If it's coupling by rigid links then I think that's the same as applying fixed restraints.

corus

Distributed coupling is new in 6.4. You have the option of how you want the distribution to occur, linear, quadratic, or cubic.

This looks like it allows for a load transfer into a surface. The points all move together in an average sense, but are allowed to move.

Look in the interaction module under constraints for the coupled constraint. In there, you will see a choice for distributed coupling - the alternative, and default, is kinematic which looks to be the same as rigid MPC's.

Thanks kf9ri, I believe Santa is bringing 6.4 but I'll check in the new features to see if distributed coupling would give the results I want without having to resort to contact between surfaces in some manner.

corus

kf9ri and corus--
"distributed coupling" is not new in 6.4; it's been around for a few releases.

Brad
PS- Corus--Santa came early for me; 6.4 is installed!