StressCheck GETTING STARTED GUIDE Release 6.0 September, 2001 Revision 1 For Windows Operating Systems Copyright 2001 Engineering Software Research & Development, Inc. COPYRIGHT NOTICE Copyright 2001 by Engineering Software Research & Development, Inc. All rights reserved, worldwide. No part of this manual may be reproduced, transmitted, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system, or translated into any human or computer language, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, magnetic, optical, chemical, manual, or otherwise, without the expressed written permission from Engineering Software Research & Development, Inc., 10845 Olive Boulevard, Suite 170, St. Louis, MO 63141-7760, U.S.A. StressCheck includes portions of Raima Data Manager version 3.21. Copyright 1984- 1996 by Raima Corporation. 1605 N. W. Sammamish Road, Suite 200, Issaquah, WA 98027. All rights reserved. StressCheck includes portions of FLEXlm license manager version 6.1. Copyright 1997 by Globetrotter Software Inc., 1530 Meridian Avenue, San Jose, GA 95125. All rights reserved. Tech Soft America (www.hoops3d.com) supplied the following core technology: HOOPS 3D Application Framework 1998 HOOPS 3D Graphic System 1998 Portions of StressCheck are owned by UGS, Inc. Copyright 1998. All rights reserved. StressCheck incorporates MeshSim™ a product of Simmetrix Inc. DISCLAIMER Engineering Software Research & Development, Inc. makes no representations or warran- ties with respect to the contents hereof and specifically disclaims any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for any particular purpose. Further, Engineering Software Research & Development, Inc. reserves the right to revise this publication and to make changes from time to time in the content hereof without obligation of Engineering Soft- ware Research & Development, Inc. to notify any person or organization of such revision or change. Table of Contents 1 Introduction 1 What is StressCheck? 1 Why use StressCheck? 2 Who should use StressCheck? 3 StressCheck features 3 How to use this manual? 3 Frequently asked questions about the p-version and StressCheck 5 2 StressCheck Interface 9 Interface Layout 9 Standard File Extensions 17 File Menu 17 Edit Menu 19 Class Menu 21 View Menu 21 Getting Started Guide Table of Contents i Table of Contents Display Menu 24 Tools Menu 27 General Interface Conventions 27 3 The Handbook 31 Handbook Framework 31 Handbook Library 31 Handbook Interface 32 Solving a handbook problem 36 Handbook Results 44 Handbook Library Expansion 44 4 Tutorial 45 Planar Elasticity problem 45 Extrusion Problem 65 Three-dimensional problem 72 ii Table of Contents Getting Started Guide 1 1 Introduction What is StressCheck? From the perspective of designers, StressCheck is a very advanced handbook that provides reliable solutions quickly and conveniently. From the perspective of analysts, StressCheck is a tool for advanced problem solv- ing and a framework for communicating the results to designers. From the perspective of managers, StressCheck is a tool for increased productivity and better design in less time. StressCheck is the first finite element analysis program to emphasize both advanced technological features and ease of use for everyday design and analysis problems. ESRD founders are pioneers in development of p-version FEA and have built the most advanced features available into StressCheck: advanced representa- tion of surfaces; hierarchic models for structural plates, including plates made of laminated composites; advanced implementation of superconvergent extraction procedures for the computation of stress intensity factors; efficient and reliable treatment of material and geometric nonlinearities in the context of the p- and hp- versions; the option to employ either the trunk space or the product space in p- extensions, and capabilities related to the analysis of fastened connections, includ- ing cold working analysis. Getting Started Guide Chapter 1: Introduction 1 Why use StressCheck? 1 StressCheck improves the reliability of computed information while increasing the productivity of analysts. Recognizing that the analyst’s time is usefully spent only if the computed information is sufficiently accurate and reliable to serve the purposes of engineering decision-making, StressCheck was designed so that the reliability of the data of interest can be readily ascertained. For most analysis tasks the largest cost component, typically more than 90 percent, is the cost of time spent on data preparation and interpretation of the results. Stress- Check was designed so as to minimize this cost. The user interface was designed to permit quick generation of finite element meshes, entry of material properties and boundary conditions. There is an immediate visual feedback confirming that the data is properly entered. Modification and editing tasks can be performed quickly and conve- niently. With StressCheck, the desired information, such as displacements, stresses and stress maxima, stress intensity factors, and stress resultants can be conveniently extracted from finite element solutions. Why use StressCheck? StressCheck delivers the most advanced p-version stress analysis technology in a convenient, easy to use, handbook style interface. With StressCheck, you overcome both the limitations of engineering handbooks and the complexity of conventional FEA. StressCheck provides information that enables its users to verify solution quality in a fraction of the time that would be required for con- ventional FEA. By incorporating your proprietary technology into an everyday handbook style tool for both analysts and design engineers, routine problems can be set up and solved in minutes. The handbook utility makes it possible for users to define frequently occurring problems parametrically which can be recalled quickly and conveniently for analysis, even by non-specialists. Therefore StressCheck provides solutions which are much more representative of the parts that need to be analyzed than handbook solutions. The amount of time required for analysis is about the same as for computerized handbooks but the versatility and reli- ability are much greater. StressCheck’s unique handbook capability is combined with an automated parametric analysis capability making it convenient to investigate the sensitiv- ity of a solution to variations in critical design parameters. 2 Chapter 1: Introduction Getting Started Guide Who should use StressCheck? 1 StressCheck’s unique and advanced post-processing capability allows detailed evaluation of engineering data anywhere in the model without expensive and time consuming re-run of the problem. Who should use StressCheck? StressCheck has been developed to facilitate analysis throughout the design pro- cess, making it a valuable tool for both analysts and design engineers. The hand- book utility provides designers with easy access to advanced finite element technology within an easy-to-use intuitive interface. The handbook library can be expanded by FEA analysts to incorporate commonly encountered parts and designs. The problems can then be executed quickly and easily by design engineers. StressCheck features StressCheck is based on the p-version of the finite element method: The errors of approximation are controlled by increasing the polynomial degree of the elements. The main features of the program are summarized in the table on page 4. How to use this manual? For persons experienced in using finite element analysis programs, StressCheck is easy to learn. For persons who have no experience, or only very limited experience with finite element analysis, detailed step-by-step procedures are provided in this manual. The basic procedures are described and illustrated by examples so as to make self-instruction possible. The Getting Started Guide was designed to explore the basics of the user interface, the Handbook framework, model creation, solution procedures and post-processing operations. An overview of the user interface is presented in the second chapter. The third chapter provides an introduction to the Handbook framework. The fourth chapter was written for first time users who are encouraged to follow the example problems in a step-by-step fashion. This will provide a sense of the “look and feel” of the pro- Getting Started Guide Chapter 1: Introduction 3 How to use this manual? 1 StressCheck features - Elasticity Model Materials Boundary Solution Output Conditions Geometry: Linear: Loads: Reference: Standard: Parasolid Isotropic Tractions Plane-Stress Error Esti- kernel Orthotropic Point Load Plane-Strain mate System Anisotropic Body Force Axisymm. Equilibrium Point Check Fitted Fiber Spring Displ. Plate Bending Line Resultants Temperature- Bearing Extrusion Contour Circle dependent Shear 3D-Solids Plotting Fillet Moment Ellipse Deformed Imposed Dis- Shape Spline Nonlinear: placement Analyses: Min/Max Cylinder Linear Elastic- Thermal Extraction Cone Plastic Nonlinear Formula Point/Line/ Material Plane Bilinear Edge Extrac- Torus Ramberg- Nonlinear tion Geometry Formula Osgood Constraints: Animation Composite Hyperelastic Modal Rigid Body more Prestress Nodal Constr. Modal Advanced: Boundary Gen- Eigenvalue Fracture Elements: Laminated: eral Buckling Mechanics: Beam Face Constr. Cold Working Symmetric SIF Spring Coeff. Margin Fastener Layup Check J-integral Quadrilateral Isotropic Built-In Measurement GSIF Triangular Layer Soft-Simple GFIF Hexahedral Orthotropic Symmetry Pentahedral Layer Antisymmetry TSIF Tetrahedral Fastener to Fas-