Nader G.

Zamani

FINITE ELEMENT ESSENTIALS IN

3DEXPERIENCE 2021x
®

SDC
P U B L I C AT I O N S
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Finite Element Essentials in 3DEXPERIENCE 2-1

Chapter 2

Linear Elastic Analysis

of a Notched Plate
2-2 Linear Elastic Analysis of a Notched Plate

Introduction:
In this tutorial, a solid finite element model of a plate with central hole is created. The
loading is in the plane of the plate and the deformation is small enough to warrant a linear
elastic analysis.

NOTE: It is assumed that you have basic familiarity with CAD modeling in
3DEXPERIENCE allowing you to create a block with a central hole. If that is not the
case, please consult the following tutorial book.

CAD Modeling Essentials in 3DEXPERIENCE, by Nader Zamani, SDC Publications,

ISBN 978-1-63057-095-8.

Problem Statement:
The steel plate shown below is subjected to a pressure load P at the two ends. Although
the problem has three planes of symmetry, you will be modeling the full geometry. The
loading is assumed to be small enough to cause a linear elastic behavior.
W

D
The dimensions of the part to be analyzed are such that the parameter r = is 0.25. The
H
chart below gives a stress concentration factor of K t = 2.4 . This chart is based on
L >> H which is not true in the modeled block. However, the value of K t will be used
for comparative purposes.
Finite Element Essentials in 3DEXPERIENCE 2-3

There are many types of solid elements available in the software; however, in this
chapter, tetrahedron elements are used. They come in linear and parabolic forms. Both
are referred to as tetrahedron elements and shown below.

Tetrahedron Elements

linear parabolic

The linear tetrahedron elements are faster computationally but less accurate. On the other
hand, the parabolic elements require more computational resources but lead to more
accurate results. Another important feature of parabolic elements is that they can fit
curved surfaces better. In general, the analysis of bulky objects requires the use of solid
elements.

In a solid continuum, the state of deformation is described by the six components of the
Cauchy stress {σ x , σ y , σ z , τ xy , τ xz , τ yz } which vary from point to point. The von Mises
stress is a combination of these according to the following expression:

σ VM =
1
2
[
(σ x − σ y )2 + (σ x − σ z ) 2 + (σ y − σ z ) 2 + 6(τ 2xy + τ 2xz + τ 2yz ) ]
For an obvious reason, this is also known as the effective stress. Note that by definition,
the von Mises stress is always a positive number. In terms of principal stresses, σ VM can
also be written as

σ VM =
1
2
[
( σ1 − σ 2 ) 2 + ( σ1 − σ 3 ) 2 + ( σ 2 − σ 3 ) 2 ]
For many ductile materials, the onset of yielding (permanent plastic deformation) takes
place when σ VM = σ Y where σ Y is the yield strength of the material. For design purposes,
σ
a factor of safety “N” is introduced leading to the condition σ VM = Y .
N
σ
Therefore, a safe design is one where σ VM < Y . The von Mises stress contour plot
N
allows you to check the above condition.
2-4 Linear Elastic Analysis of a Notched Plate

The Model and Material Properties:

First, using the Part Design App , create a block with a central hole with the
dimensions L = 0.15m, H= 0.1m, W = 0.02m, and D = 0.025m as shown below.

The first task is to apply a

material property to this Select the “Tools” tab
part. From the bottom row
of icons (i.e. the action bar),
select the “Tools” tab.

From the Tools menu, select the dropdown to the right of the “Material Browser” icon
. This opens up the section menu as shown. Follow the steps outlined below to select

the “Create Material” .

The selection of opens up a dialogue box shown on the next page. This box allows
you to supply a proper name for the material should you decide to do so. Our assumption
Finite Element Essentials in 3DEXPERIENCE 2-5

is that you do not have a material of interest in the “cloud” database and would like to
follow the steps to create it. It is a rather tedious process but will be clearly spelled out.

Select the “Create Material” icon. Make sure that you check “Add domain” section
of the dialogue box, and that the “Simulation Domain” is picked. Note that this creates a
shell (a placeholder) and the material information needs to be supplied later.

Type your desired name

Make sure that the

“Simulation Domain”
is checked

Here is the material property that you created.

This is just a “shell”, information needs to be inputted later.

Once you close the dialogue

box by clicking on “OK”, you
will find yourself in the
material database and can
identify the material that you
just created, namely
“Steel_FEA_CH2”. The
database screen is shown on
the right.

Place the cursor on your Position the cursor here on the screen, right click, select “Apply”
created material in the
database, right click and
select “Apply”. You still
have to return to the screen
where the geometry exists
and continue. This
necessitates the closure of
the current screen (the
database screen).
2-6 Linear Elastic Analysis of a Notched Plate

Select the “X “on the top Close thisthis

Close window
windowby clicking on “X”.
by clicking on “ X ”.

right margin of the

Be careful notnot
Be careful to close
closethe
theApp.
[Link].
instead.

database screen to close

the window.

You will return to the

geometry window;
however, the shape of
the cursor is modified as
shown below.

Place the cursor on the part on

the screen or on the top branch
of the tree and double click.

You will notice that the

“Materials” branch is created at
the very bottom of the tree as
shown below. You can then
use the cursor to select the
“Green” check mark to
proceed.

Select the “Green”

check mark from
this box

The created material has been assigned but this is just a “shell” , information needs to be inputted later.

Please note that the actual material

properties are yet to be inputted.
Expanding the “Materials” branch
reveals two other branches. The
location where the properties are
inputted is the last branch “Material
Simulation Domain00004139” as Input material properties by double clicking on this branch
shown on the right.
Finite Element Essentials in 3DEXPERIENCE 2-7

Double click on the last branch and follow the steps below.

Step 1 Step 2

Steps:
1. Expand the Structures Option
2. Continue Expanding until the Elastic
Option is visible
3. Click on the Elastic Option & input
the Young’s modulus and Poisson
Ratio.

Step 3

In Step 3, the Young’s modulus and Poisson ratio can be inputted. For the present
problem, 𝐸𝐸 = 2 ∗ 1011 𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃 and 𝜈𝜈 = 0.3, which are the standard values for carbon steel.
Properties can be changed by simply double clicking on the last branch shown.
2-8 Linear Elastic Analysis of a Notched Plate

Creating an Abstraction Shape:

When performing a structural analysis, one often simplifies the model. These
simplifications may include modeling a symmetric portion of a component, removing
small non-critical features, or even modeling a solid component as a shell. Modifying the
3D Shape used for designing and manufacturing the component could cause costly errors.
Fortunately, 3DEXPERIENCE provides a feature called an “Abstraction Shape”. The
Abstraction Shape provides a container with a dependent copy of the design 3D Shape.

Inserting an Abstraction Shape is a straightforward process. As shown below, right click

on the part, select Insert, and then select Abstraction Shape.

Step 1 Step 2 Step 3

Finite Element Essentials in 3DEXPERIENCE 2-9

Creating a dependent copy of the 3D Shape, used for the design and manufacturing, and
placing it in the Abstraction Shape requires a bit more effort. To accomplish this task:
1. Double click on the 3D Shape to activate it
2. Right click on the PartBody associated with the 3D Shape
3. Select Copy
4. Double click on the Abstraction Shape to activate it
5. Right click on the PartBody associated with the Abstraction Shape
6. Select Paste Special
7. Select “As Result With Link” and then click on OK.

Step 1 Step 2 Step 3

Step 4 Step 5 Step 6

Step 7
2-10 Linear Elastic Analysis of a Notched Plate

For most simulations, we could leave the model as it is. But some of the functionality
used by the simulation apps requires the solid to be located under the PartBody.
Therefore, we perform the following three steps to clean up the model.
1. Drag and drop the solid to the PartBody
2. Right click on the now empty body container
3. Select delete
The steps to clean up the model and the final model tree are depicted below.

drag &
drop
Step 1 Step 2

Step 3 Final
Finite Element Essentials in 3DEXPERIENCE 2-11

Creating the Finite Element Model:

Click on the compass at the top left corner of

the screen. Be sure that the “ME” and “As a
System of Operations” choices are active as
depicted in the figure to the right. If you have
difficulty locating any app, you can activate the
search capability by clicking on the magnifying
glass. You can also drag any app into your “My
Favorite Apps” for easy access in the future.
Scroll through the applications and select the

“Structural Model Creation” App .

The “Create Finite Element Model” dialogue box appears. For now, select the
“Automatic” option for the Initialization Method. The other initialization methods
provide a user with additional control over the meshing process. The selection of
“Automatic” creates parabolic tetrahedral elements. Next, activate the geometry
selection and click on the PartBody under the Abstraction Shape. Then click on OK.

The row of icons at the bottom of your screen (action bar) changes and will appear
similar to the one displayed below.
2-12 Linear Elastic Analysis of a Notched Plate

The tree indicates that a mesh

and the corresponding solid
Mesh and Properties are created section has been created.

Expanding the branch “Finite Element

Model0003095” further indicates that the
elements are of “Tetrahedron” type and the
property is “Solid Section” as expected.

Upon double clicking on the “Tetrahedron

Mesh.1” branch, the corresponding dialogue box shown
on the right pops up. Here, one can change the type (linear
or quadratic), the size and sag, and certain other
parameters. For example, local mesh refinement can be
accomplished through the “Local Specifications”. Click
on “Initialize from geometry” and then click on OK.

There are different methods for displaying the mesh.

The instructions given below are one method of achieving
that objective.

From the bottom row of icons, select the “Mesh” icon .

The bottom row’s appearance now looks similar to below.

Select the “Update” icon

.
Upon updating, the mesh
appears on the screen as shown
on the right.
Finite Element Essentials in 3DEXPERIENCE 2-13

There are also different ways of

hiding the mesh. For example, first
select the “Display” tab from the
bottom row of icons.

you can select the “Visualization Management” icon from the

choices. The resulting dialogue box shown on the right appears.
You can then use the dropdowns to show or hide the various
features.

There are a few other icons that are worth mentioning here.

Selecting the “Sectioning” icon cuts the

mesh with the standard xy, xz, and yz planes as
shown.

The “Clipping Box” icon enables you to select a region of your mesh.

There are several other mesh visualization tools available including changing element
color and shrinking the elements. We do not discuss those further but will highlight the
mesh “Mesh Visualization Quality” plot. This allows one to quickly identify poor quality
elements that could produce erroneous results.
2-14 Linear Elastic Analysis of a Notched Plate

Creating a Scenario:

The nature of the analysis, namely Static, Dynamic, Buckling, etc., is set in the
“Structural Scenario Creation” App. Furthermore, the loads, restraints, and interaction are
also defined in this application.

It is also important to point out that that one could have created the Scenario before the
“Finite Element Model Creation” step. In fact, the latter can be created from within the
“Structural Scenario Creation” App.

Click on the compass in the top left corner of

the screen as shown here. Scroll through the
applications and select the “Structural Scenario

Creation” App.
Finite Element Essentials in 3DEXPERIENCE 2-15

The pop-up window “Simulation Initialization” shown below appears on the screen.
Since this is strictly a structural problem, the radio button “Structural” should be selected.
A quick glance of the tree confirms that a “Scenario” has been created.

Scenario created

The row of icons at the bottom of your screen changes and will resemble the one
displayed below.

Checking the middle bottom section of the Red exclamation signs

screen reveals that there are two red
exclamation signs.
These pertain to “Structural Analysis Case.1”
and “No Procedures Exist”.

From the “Setup” tab, click the “Finite Element Model”

icon . The following pop-up window displayed on

the next page appears.
2-16 Linear Elastic Analysis of a Notched Plate

Since there is already a finite element model

created, it appears in the list. Be sure that you
select that row. Notice that there is also an
option to create a finite element model. As
mentioned earlier, the FE model can also be Select this row

created within the Scenario, and this is where

you would complete that task. In this case, it
does not apply because an FE model was
already created and selected.

Select the “Procedures” tab from the action bar (bottom row).

Procedures tab

Select the “Static Step” icon from the bottom row.

The “Static Step” dialogue box pops up. Accept all the defaults. Note that if the
“Advanced” pulldown list is selected, it becomes clear that this is the point in the
software where “Geometric Nonlinearities” are included, or excluded.

NLGEOM
Included
Finite Element Essentials in 3DEXPERIENCE 2-17

A quick glance at the Note the “Green” checkmarks instead of “Red” exclamations
bottom middle section of
the screen reveals “Green”
checkmarks instead of
“Red” exclamation marks.

The tree indicates that “Static Step.1” has

been created. There are default basic
output entities that are requested upon the
creation of a Step.

Accessing the Model, Scenario and Results Quickly:

Clearly this can be done by double clicking on the corresponding branches of the tree.
However, it can also be done efficiently by selecting the appropriate icon among these

three: . The first one on the left is “Model and Mesh”, the middle
one is “Scenario” and the one on the far right is “Results”; that is the postprocessor.

Applying the Pressure Load:

A pressure load of -100000 Pa is to be applied on the end faces. Note that positive
pressure by convention is a compressive load. Since the notched block is under tension,
pressure value is inputted as a negative number.

Select the “Loads” tab

Select the two end faces of the block; keep in Select these two faces

mind the multiple selection is done with

holding the Ctrl key down.

Select the “Pressure” icon from the

bottom row of icons and input the pressure
value.
2-18 Linear Elastic Analysis of a Notched Plate

Applying the Restraints:

The problem under consideration is in static equilibrium without imposing any restraints.
However, due to the geometrical and loading symmetries, it possesses three planes of
symmetry. Therefore, in principle, one needs to model 1/8th of the geometry only.

In the present model, no symmetry

considerations will be made. Since the (1)
structure can move as a rigid body and still
remain under equilibrium, the so called {1,2,3}
rule will be imposed. This is illustrated in the (1,2)
figure on the right. The arrows represent a zero
displacement in the shown direction.
Z
The (1,2,3) restraint representing (x,y,z) Y
prevents the block from flying away. The (1,2) X (1,2,3)
restraint representing (x,y) prevents rotation
about the x and y axis. Finally, the (3) restraint representing (z) eliminates the rotation
about the z axis.

Select the “Restraints” tab from the bottom toolbar (the action bar).

Restraints tab

Choose the “Fixed Displacement” icon

followed by the bottom vertex as shown.

In the dialogue box, check all three

“Translations”. This
vertex
Finite Element Essentials in 3DEXPERIENCE 2-19

Repeat the same process for the other two vertices and choose the appropriate translations
as shown.

This
vertex

As a side comment, instead of using the

“Fixed Displacement” icon and

checking all three x,y,z translations, one
could have used the “Clamp” icon .

Restraints
Note that the imposed restraints are now Applied
reflected in the tree.

Consistency, Model Check, and Simulation:

Select the “Simulation” tab from the bottom row of icons on your screen

Simulate tab

Select the “Results Storage” icon from the bottom row to define where the
simulation results will be stored. While model and scenario data is always stored on the
server, simulation results may either be stored on the server or on the local machine. If
the “Local” option is selected, the results will be stored in
C:\Users\WinUsername\AppData\Local\DassaultSystemes\PLM_LocalResult.
2-20 Linear Elastic Analysis of a Notched Plate

However, the data is masked, encrypted, and only accessible by the owner of the data.
Students should check with their instructor to determine the proper location for storing
their simulation results. For this case, we select the “Server” radio button.

It is a good practice to perform the consistency and

consistency check before submitting the work for the final
run.
Select the “Model and Scenario Check” icon from the

bottom row .
The software goes through a check phase and if there are no issues, a message with a
“Green” check mark is returned.

Next select the “Simulation Checks” icon from the bottom row
of icons. Accept the number of “Cores” in the pop up box below.
Finite Element Essentials in 3DEXPERIENCE 2-21

Upon the completion of the “Simulation Check”, any errors or warning messages will be
available in the pop up box below.

Assuming that there are no serious issues (i.e. no error messages), you are ready to
submit the job for “Simulation”.
Select the “Simulation” icon from the bottom row.
Accept the number of “cores” in the pop up box, and wait for the simulation to complete.

During this phase “Simulation

Status”, important messages such as
“Licenses”, “Plots”, and “Iterations”
are recorded in the main pop-up
window. These can be viewed by
Successfully completed
selecting the appropriate tab.

In the present run, if you select the

“Iterations” tab you will see a single
iteration as the problem in linear.
2-22 Linear Elastic Analysis of a Notched Plate

The “Plots” tab reveals nothing

interesting. The problem being linear,
there is only one iteration to get the
solution.

From the “Feature Manager” dropdown, select the “Diagnostic

Viewer” from the menu. This can also be launched by typing
Alt+v.

Once the window pops up, click on the arrows to expand the
records.

Click to
Expand

Under the
“Advanced” section,
use the pulldown
menu to expand the
choices. Here, you
can select an item of
interest to get
information about.

For example, if you are seeking information about “Iterations”, make that selection and
click on “Status”. A text file (Notepad) is generated which pertains to the requested item.
Finite Element Essentials in 3DEXPERIENCE 2-23

Select the type of report you are seeking

Select the Item that you want a report on

Results (Post processing):

Once you close (or move) the

obstructing dialogue boxes, you must
be in the “Results” section and the
bottom row should appear as shown on
the right.

If not, click on the “Results” icon .

In the background, you

should see the “Plots”
dialogue box which shows
the results of Frame1, and
the initial results and the
results after the first
iteration. If the first of the
“Plots” dialogue box is
highlighted, the value of
the von Mises stress is
zero as shown on the right.
2-24 Linear Elastic Analysis of a Notched Plate

This is not surprising as the first row is before any incremental load is applied. If the load
is zero, the displacement and stress are both zero. Use the cursor to select the second row
of the “Plots” dialogue box. One can then see the von Mises stress distribution in the part.

The stress concentration graph

given on page 2-1 indicates a
factor of 2.4 for the given
dimensions. Since the
magnitude of the applied
pressure was 1.00E+5 Pa, a
maximum von Mises stress of
3.19E+5 Pa is in reasonable
agreement with theory. Keep in
mind that this is a coarse grid.

In order to display the

“Displacement.1”, use the “Plot”
pulldown menu in this window
and select “Displacement.1” as
shown below.

The “Plots” dialogue box

can be closed to make
room on the screen if
needed. Use the cursor and
select the arrow on the top
left corner of the window;
this will collapse the box Select
as seen next. Displacement.1
Finite Element Essentials in 3DEXPERIENCE 2-25

Every time a new plot is to

be generated, the previous
one is deactivated.
Checking the status of the
tree on the right indicates Not Activated
that the “Displacement” is Activated
“Active”, whereas the other Not Activated
5 (including von Mises) are Not Activated
“Not Active”. Not Activated
Not Activated

Plots which are “Not Active” have a marker next to them. There may be good reasons
that you want several plots on the screen side by side. Suppose that you want the contour
plots of the displacement and the von Mises stress side by side.

Select the “Display” tab from the bottom row of icons.

Select the Display Tab

Select the “Compare Results” icon from the bottom row.

The “Compare Results” dialog will appear as shown below. Click on the X’s to remove
the two right panes.
2-26 Linear Elastic Analysis of a Notched Plate

Then, drag and drop the displacement field plot into the remaining lower pane.

You will see that the von Mises Stress is displayed in the top sector of the screen and the
displacement is displayed in the bottom sector of the screen as shown below.
Finite Element Essentials in 3DEXPERIENCE 2-27

An important skill in post processing is the ability to pan, zoom in and zoom out
of the contour legend. In order to explain the process, plot the contour of
“Displacement.1”. Point the cursor to the contour legend and select it (left click). You
will see that the contour plot (on the block) becomes dim. This is an indication that the
contour plot is “Not Active”, whereas the contour legend is. Now, selecting the legend
with the middle mouse button down, the legend can be panned. Selecting the contour
legend, a single click of the middle mouse button, and forward/backward motion of the
mouse enables you to zoom in and zoom out of the legend. Once you are done, select the
contour legend again which will activate the contour plot.

Dimmed contour
plot

Select the contour legend,

then zoom in, zoom out,
Selecting the pan the contour as needed.
contour legend
dims out the
contour plot
2-28 Linear Elastic Analysis of a Notched Plate

The group of icons on the bottom of screen are very

useful in post processing. The compare results icon has already been discussed. We
will now review the plot sectioning icon . Once this icon is selected, the part can be
cut at an arbitrary orientation by rotating/translating the “Robot”; two random cuts are
shown below.

Manipulating the contour

plots as far as formatting
and setting the parameters
is very important. To
explore such features, Double click on
double click on an existing one of these
contour on the screen (or branches or on
simply double click on a an existing contour
branch of the tree which on your screen
corresponds to a contour in
the “Results” section).

Once the contour appears on the screen,

double click on it again. This action leads to
the “Contour Plot” pop up window shown
on the right. This window has three tabs and
many pulldown menus which enables you to
customize the plot.

The three tabs are immediately below the

“Name” .

In the first tab, one can select the different

variables to be plotted.
Finite Element Essentials in 3DEXPERIENCE 2-29

Selecting the middle tab leads to the screen

which enables you to change the “Scale factor”. Scale factor of
90000 instead of 1
By default, the scale factor is “1”. Change the
“Scale factor” to “90000” and press the “Apply”
button in the pop up window.

Next select the third tab .

This tab has an important section on “Edges”.

The “Visible edges” pull down list gives you

three options .

The effects are shown in the contour plots

below.

Visible edges = Mesh Visible edges = Outline Visible edges = None

Looking at the above contour plots one notices that there are no distinct color separation
borders. It could be that for certain reasons, having a smooth transition between colors is
not desirable. This can easily be changed by double clicking on the contour legends
which will open the “Legend Options” dialogue box. The box is shown on the next page
and gives you many other options regarding the contour.
2-30 Linear Elastic Analysis of a Notched Plate

Smooth
Smooth
checked
Un-checked

The number of colors, the maximum and minimum range for the variable can also be set
in this window. Note that the setting which allows you to orient the legend “Horizontal”
or “Vertical” is at the bottom of the window.

Select the “Create Report” icon from the bottom of the

screen. This will lead to the dialogue box shown below.

A professional looking report in “Word” or “PowerPoint”

formats can be generated. Personalized information such as
company/university logo can be automatically inserted.

The results animation tool is located on the

“Standard” tab. It is good practice to pin the
“Standard” tab to the Action Bar. To do this,
right click on the tab and select “Pin Section” as
shown on the right.

Select the “Play Animation” icon from the bottom row.

This loads the animation player as shown below.

You can change the animation properties and save the animation by clicking on the
“Animation Options” icon .
Finite Element Essentials in 3DEXPERIENCE 2-31

This loads the “Animation Options” dialog as

shown on the right. Finally, looping control is
achieved by clicking on the icon. You can
click through the options: loop, bounce, and
one shot.

A very useful post-processing feature is the “Show Min/Max

Values” icon from the bottom row of icons.

Do not show Max/Min Show only Max value

Show only Min value Show Max and Min values

Up until this point, the post processing dealt with contour plot fully rendered. The next
activity deals with generating plots which are “symbol” based; for example, the y-
component of the displacement vector (or symbol) but plotted as a vector. In this
example, y is the direction where the part is loaded.

Select the “Symbol Plot” icon from the “Plots” tab at the
bottom of the screen. Note that the icon “Isocontour Plot” is

essentially the same as “Create Contour Plot” , except

that there is no rendering.
2-32 Linear Elastic Analysis of a Notched Plate

Follow the instructions below to select “UT, Translation” with “Vector Component 2”.

Select the UT,

Translation as the
variable

Select the appropriate

component. Here it is
Component 2.

For Symbol shape, select “Vectors”

For Symbol shape

Select “Vectors”

Finally press “Apply”. The symbol plot (vector plot) shown below appears. The issue
with this plot is that there are too many symbols (arrows).
Finite Element Essentials in 3DEXPERIENCE 2-33

Follow the instructions given below in the middle tab of this window to
reduce the arrow density.

Slide the bar to reduce symbol (vector) density

When satisfied, press “Apply”

The final activity is to explore the “Feature Manager” in the

context of the simulation results. This selection leads to the
“Feature Manager” dialogue box below which contains valuable
information.
2-34 Linear Elastic Analysis of a Notched Plate

It is worth mentioning that dialogue boxes such as “Feature Manager” and the
“Diagnostic Viewer” can be accessed any time by right clicking on the screen as
shown below.

There are many, many other important features that were not touched upon in this chapter
but will be explored in later ones.
Finite Element Essentials in 3DEXPERIENCE 2-35

Exercise 1: Analysis of a Foot Pedal

The foot pedal shown below is made of steel with Young’s modulus 30E+6 psi and
Poisson ratio 0.3. The pedal is loaded with a normal force of 100 lb along the edge
shown. The other end of the pedal is clamped. The geometrical dimensions are provided
at the bottom of the page where all the dimensions are in inches.

Try running the model with the two different element “size” and “sag” with both the
linear and parabolic type of elements. Record the results in terms of the maximum
displacement and the maximum von Mises stress in a table and comment on the results.
The run time of the parabolic elements with element size of 0.1 could be substantial
depending on the type of processor used.

Partial Answer:

Size = .3, sag = .05

Element Type Linear Parabolic
Maximum .0158 in. .0227 in.
Displacement
Maximum
von Mises 5.32E+3 psi 1.1E+4 psi
Stress
2-36 Linear Elastic Analysis of a Notched Plate

Size = .1, sag = .05

Element Type Linear Parabolic
Maximum .021 in. .0229 in.
Displacement
Maximum
von Mises 9.43E+4 psi 1.6E+4 psi
Stress

The above tables reveal an extremely important fact about finite element analysis.
Making a single run and accepting the results at face value is a serious mistake. Note that
for linear elements as the mesh is refined, there is a significant change in both
displacement and von Mises stress. The user should not accept either value as being
correct and must refine the mesh further. The refinement should reach a point at which
the difference with the previous mesh is not deemed to be significant to the user. This
process is referred to as a mesh convergence study.
Keep in mind that the refinement need not be uniform throughout the part. One should
perform the refinement in the critical areas only. It is clear that parabolic elements are
superior in accuracy to linear elements. Furthermore, note that although the displacement
seems to have stabilized, the von Mises is still unreliable. It is well known that the
displacements in FEA are more accurate than stresses. The reason is that the stresses are
obtained by differentiating the displacement, a process which magnifies the error.

Exercise 2: Analysis of a Cylindrical Bar under Torsion

The cylindrical bar shown below has a clamped end. The other end is subjected to a
couple caused by opposite forces on magnitude 1000 lbf separated by 1.5 in. This is
equivalent to a torque of 1500 [Link] applied to the cylinder. The material is steel with
Young’s modulus 30E+6 and Poisson ratio of 0.3.
The diameter of the cylinder is 1 in. and the dimensions of the loaded end are shown
below. Although not showing, the length of the padded cylinder is 5 in. and the length of
the padded rectangle is 0.5 in. All sharp corners at the loaded end have surface fillet of
radius 0.1 in.
Finite Element Essentials in 3DEXPERIENCE 2-37

Model the part with linear solid elements with size = 0.1 and sag = 0.025 which results in
the mesh shown in the previous page. Compare the hoop stress (The hoop stress is the
largest principal stress “C11”) with the theoretical solution from strength of materials.

Partial Answer:

Tr
The strength of materials solution is based on τ = where T is the applied torque, r is
J
the radius of the cylinder and J is the polar moment of inertia. In terms of the diameter,
4
D πD
r = , and J = . The hoop stress “C1” which numerically equals τ is calculated
2 32
16T
from . For the present problem, T = 1500 [Link] and D = 1 in. Based on these
πD 3
parameters, a value of 7643 psi for the hoop stress is predicted.
2-38 Linear Elastic Analysis of a Notched Plate

Notes: