It helps to study the effects

of e.g. 3D element type and

size on the modeling re-

sults. At that point the Hy-

perMesh GUI & solver syn-

tax is put in the „back

ground―.

So depending on your know-

ledge, you may use the full

HyperMesh GUI directly

from the start or you may

go the easy way employing

the FEM Guide.

It is up to you.

The HyperWorks Starter Kit comprises:

What is HyperWorks— Overwiew

HyperWorks Desktop - General Introduction

Graphical User Interface (GUI), Help Menu

The HyperMesh „Philosophy―

Model Browser & Collectors, Selection of entities

User Profile

Recommended Tutorials & Videos

Simplified 3D FEM Process Guide

The start-up aid for absolute FEM beginners

Working with CAD Geometry

Terminology, Working with Geometry

Recommended Tutorials & Videos

Meshing

2D

Quality & Compatibility

Recommended Tutorials & Videos

Material & Properties

Loads & Constraints

Loadstep / Substep

Export of solver deck, solve

Postprocessing

Where to learn more about HyperWorks

General Remarks

Remember, you can always find East by staring

directly at the sun. Bart Simpson, character in "The Simpsons"

There are certainly many ways to find your way into the

CAE world of HyperWorks. One such possible way is de-

picted in the Starter-Kit document.

Once you have access to HyperWorks—either through a

campus license or a student license — some kind of ele-

mentary questions may arise:

What you need to know about HyperWorks

How to get started?

Where to learn more about HyperWorks?

The HyperWorks Starter-Kit aims at providing answers

hereto. Some first theoretical FEM knowledge is expec-

ted, however.

In an overview, the general FEM process may be

summarised as:

It appears that the process as such is rather straight for-

ward (we deliberately do not say „easy―).

However, there are plenty of pitfalls everywhere.

Where do expect modeling problems and uncer-

tainites?

In the context of this starter manual the general working

procedure and likely pitfalls related to CAD data, mes-

hing, material & properties, and loads & constraints are

discussed in some detail.

As a start-up aid for the absolute FEM beginners the

„Simplified 3D FEM Process Guide―

has proven to be very helpful. The process guide may be

used along with simple 3D geometry.

HyperWorks Starter Manual

March 2011

Page 1

MotionView Multi-body dynamics pre- and post-

processor

HyperView High performance finite element and me-

chanical systems post-

processor, engineering plot-

ter, and data analysis tool

HyperView is a complete post

-processing and visualization

environment for finite ele-

ment analysis (FEA), multi-

body system simulation, vi-

deo, and engineering data. Amazingly fast 3-D gra-

phics and unparalleled functionality set a new stan-

dard for the speed and integration of CAE results

post-processing. HyperView enables you to visualize

data interactively as well as capture and standardi-

ze your post-processing activities using process au-

tomation features. HyperView also saves 3-D anima-

tion results in Altair's compact H3D format so you

can visualize and share CAE results within a 3-D

web environment using HyperView Player.

HyperGraph Engineering plotter and data analysis tool

ScriptView HyperWorks IDE (Integrated Development

Environment) for developing and debugging TCL and

HyperMath Language (HML) scripts

Templex General purpose text and numeric processor

Back to page 1

HyperWorks®, The Platform for Innovation™

HyperWorks is an enterprise simulation solution for rapid

design exploration and decision-making. As one of the

most comprehensive CAE solutions in the industry, Hy-

perWorks provides a tightly integrated suite of best-in-

class tools for modeling, analysis, optimization, visuali-

zation, reporting, and performance data management.

Firmly committed to an open-systems philosophy, Hyper-

Works continues to lead the industry with the broadest

interoperability to commercial CAD and CAE solutions.

HyperWorks Modeling & Visualisation

HyperWorks Desktop Integrated user environment for

modeling and visualization

Note: The HyperWorks 11.0 Student Version and the

Starter-Kit are based on the HyperWorks Desktop Soluti-

on. Nevertheless, the Starter-Kit is also suited for users

employing the „stand-alone― HyperMesh and HyperView

versions. The products referenced (and employed) in the

StarterKit are marked bold & italic!

HyperMesh Universal finite

element pre- and post-

processor.

HyperMesh is a high-

performance finite element

pre- and post-processor for

major finite element sol-

vers, which allows engineers

to analyze design conditions

in a highly interactive and visual environment. Hy-

perMesh’s user-interface is easy to learn and sup-

ports the direct use of CAD geometry and existing

finite element models, providing robust interopera-

bility and efficiency. Advanced automation tools

within HyperMesh allow users to optimize meshes

from a set of quality criteria, change existing meshes

through morphing, and generate mid-surfaces from

models of varying thickness

HyperWorks Starter Manual

March 2011

Page 2 What is HyperWorks—Overview (I)

Manufacturing Solutions

Manufacturing Solutions A unified environment for ma-

nufacturing process simulation, analysis, and design

optimization

HyperForm A unique fini-

te element based

sheet metal forming

simulation software

solution

HyperXtrude An finite

element solver and

user environment that enables engineers to analyze

material flow and heat transfer problems in extrusi-

on and rolling applications

HyperMold Provides a highly efficient and customized

environment for setting up models for injection

molding simulation with Moldflow and Moldex3D

HyperWeld Provides an efficient interface for setting

up models and analyzing friction stir welding with

the HyperXtrude Solver

Forging Provides a highly efficient and customized envi-

ronment for setting up models for complex three-

dimensional forging simulation with DEFOM3D

Results Mapper Process Manager-based tool that provi-

des a framework to initialize a structural model

with results from a forming simulation

Engineering Solutions

Engineering Solutions A unified environment tailored

specifically for certain engineering applications

HyperCrash Specialized modeling environment for auto-

motive crash and safety analysis

solidThinking

solidThinking Compre-

hensive NURBS-

based 3D modeling

and rendering envi-

ronment for indus-

trial design

solidThinking Inspired

Innovative morphogenesis form generation technolo-

gy

Back to page 1

HyperWorks®, The Platform for Innovation™

HyperWorks Solvers

RADIOSS Finite element solver

for linear and non-linear

problems

RADIOSS is a state-of-the-art

finite element solver uniting

implicit and explicit integra-

tion schemes for the solution

of a wide variety of engineering problems, from line-

ar statics and linear dynamics to complex nonlinear

transient dynamics and mechanical systems. This

robust, multidisciplinary solver enables designers to

maximize performance related to durability, NVH,

crash, safety, manufacturability, and fluid-structure

interaction, in order to bring innovative products to

market faster.

AcuSolve General, all-purpose finite element computati-

onal fluid dynamics (CFD) solver

MotionSolve Multi-body dynamics solver

OptiStruct Design and optimization software using finite

elements and multi-body dynamics

HyperWorks Enterprise

Collaboration Tools A solution that organizes, manages,

and stores CAE and test data throughout the simulati-

on life cycle

Process Manager Process automation tool for HyperWorks

and third party software; Processes can be created

with the help of Process Studio.

HyperMath Solutions

HyperMath Mathematical scripting language for numeri-

cal computation

HyperStudy Integrated optimization, DOE, and robust

design engine

CAE Result Player

HyperView Player Plug-in and stand-alone utility to share

and visualize 3-D CAE models and results

HyperWorks Starter Manual

March 2011

Page 3 What is HyperWorks—Overview (II)

Under Help-HyperWorks Desktop you will find answers

related to „panels/

functions― and wor-

king techniques.

Tip: Just press „h― on

your keyboard while

your inisde a panel of

HyperMesh and you

will be directly guided

to the corresponing

help entry!

Whenever you wonder about FEM solver related issues

such as syntax, material definitions etc. you need to

go to „Other Applications―

The HyperMesh „Philosophy“

Help document: HyperMesh > User's Guide > The HyperMesh

Environment

Tip: Start learning HyperMesh by using the Menu Bar

The topics/titles in the Menu Bar (e.g. Geometry,

Mesh, Materials, Properties, Bc‘s etc.) and the pull-

down menus are organized in such a way that you can

build

„sentences―. For instance, building a surface:

The HyperWorks Desktop Graphical User Interface

In the Desktop environment you may switch between

different applications (clients) such as HyperMesh,

HyperView, and HyperGraph etc. In addition, the screen

may be divided according to your needs, allowing you to

place, for instance, a HyperMesh window next to a Hy-

perView window.

The HyperWorks Help Documentation

The HyperWorks Help documentation is part of the Hy-

perWorks installation. The help menu may be accessed

in different ways.

For instance, just activate „Help― in the Menu Bar.

HyperWorks Starter Manual

March 2011

Page 4 General Remarks (I)

All entities of the FEM model such as elements, geo-

metry, materials, properties, loads, etc. are stored in

corresponding collectors:

Elements & CAD: component collector (comps)

Material: material collector (mats)

Properties (e.g. thickness of shell elements): property

collector (props)

Loads: load collector (loadcol)

Collectors are best created within the model browser.

Note: the collector written

in bold letters is currently

active. The active collector

is the storage place for

newly created entities be-

longign to this brand of

collector.Collectors can be

made active simply with:

„Make current“.

In this example the active

component collector is na-

med „rigid― which implies

that newly created ele-

ments will be stored under

„rigid― (regardless whether

it is meaningful or not).

Back to page 1

So the „sentence― would read:

Geometry—Create—Surfaces-...

After that a panel will be displayed offering different

methods on how to create the surface.

How to read panels (e.g. create surface—ruled)?

Yellow=HyperMesh expects your input here. The blue

colored frame indicates which field expects your in-

put (you can jump between yellow panels by mouse

clicking or by activating the tab-buton)

Green=Action. In this case the surface would be build

with respect to the specified lines.

Red=Close panel. No further action.

Tip: Always watch the „Status Bar“ (left lower panel)

for information!

The information provided there is instrumental for your

work (at least until you have a sound understanding on

how HyperMesh works).

It is exacty this „spot― which tells you what is happe-

ning, what is missing, what was created etc.!!

Model Browser

In HyperMesh there are many browsers. The most impor-

tant one to get started with is the „Model Browser―

Help document: HyperMesh > User's Guide > Browsers >

Model Browser

HyperWorks Starter Manual

March 2011

Page 5 General Remarks (II)

Selection of entities

(entities = elements, geometry etc.)

Help document: HyperMesh > User's Guide > The Hy-

perMesh Environment > The HyperMesh User Interface

> Input Controls

In order to select, for instance surfaces, it is imperati-

ve that the activated (opened) panel requests this kind

of information.

Example: The panel Geometry-Create-Lines-from nodes

does not say anything about surfaces. Hence, there is

no way to select surfaces in this panel.

In

contrast, in the Geometry-Create-Lines-from surf

edges panel you are „asked― to provide the information

from which surfa-

ce edges lines

should be derived. Hence, you can (actuallly have to)

select surfaces.The respective surfaces can be selected

directly via left mouse botton (deselection = right mou-

se button).

Of course, other selection options do exist.

Read more:

Help document: HyperMesh > User's Guide > The Hyper-

Mesh Environment > The HyperMesh User Interface >

Input Controls Back to page 1

The model browser is a kind of „list of contents― provi-

ding information about the loaded FEM model.

In this depicted example the mesh of the model is stored

in a component named

„mesh―, the component

owns a number (ID) and a

color. The lD is being used

by the FEM solver, the

color is used for display-

ing elements.

At the same time the mo-

del browser controls

which FEM entities are

being displayed.

Elements of the corresponding component may be

displayed or non-displayed by activating –

deactivating the icon

Geometry of the corresponding component may be

displayed or non-displayed by activating–deactivating

the icon.

Note: All entities MUST (and will be) be placed in a cor-

responding collector.

If you miss to create the respective collector before the

entity is created, Hyper-

Mesh allocates the cor-

responding collector type

automatically. This collec-

tor is named „auto―.

Don‘t worry— you can chan-

ge it‘s name, color etc. at

any time. It is just right

mouse click in the model

browser.

You can also move entities

from the same type of col-

lector (e.g. component

coll.) to another – at any

time.

HyperWorks Starter Manual

March 2011

Page 6 General Remarks (III)

HyperMesh allows you to build FE models for other po-

pular solvers as well. For instance, you can export your

model in the format of Abaqus, Ansys, LS-Dyna, Marc

etc.

Recommended Tutorials:

Help Document: HyperMesh Tutorials > Basics >

Getting Started with HyperMesh - HM-1000

Opening and Saving Files - HM-1010

Working with Panels - HM-1020

Organizing a Model - HM-1030

Controlling the Display - HM-1040

Recommended Videos:

(to view the free videos, you need to register at the

HyperWorks Client Center using your university E-Mail

address)

Interactive Tutorials (no HyperWorks installaltion requi-

red)

HM-1010 Opening and Saving Models

HM-1020 Working with Panels

HM-1030 Organizing a Model

Back to page 1

Panels: General Layout

Panels often have sub-panels

Accessed by radio buttons on the left side of the

panel

Panels generally work from left to right

Example: Project / to plane sub-pan

Mouse Buttons

Left mouse button

+CTRL & drag for rotate

+CTRL & click on entity to change center of

rotation

+CTRL & click in graphics area, off entities to

reset center to middle of screen

Middle mouse button

+CTRL & drag for zoom

+CTRL & click for fit

Right mouse button

+CTRL & drag for pan

User Profile

Most likely your work will not end with meshing.

Whenever FEM solver specific information needs to be

applied to the model, it is again imperative to „inform―

HyperMesh about the FEM solver to be used.

This is managed through the User Profile.

Note: In the HyperWorks Student Version Radioss (bulk),

OptiStruct and the „Simplified FEM Process Guide― are

available, only .

HyperWorks Starter Manual

March 2011

Page 7 General Remarks (IV)

2. Start volume meshing (tetra– or hexahedral mesh, 1st

or 2nd order).

3. Create the material (linear elastic). It then will be

automatically assigned to the volume elements.

4. Finally, specify the loads and constraints.

Note: Component-, property-, material-, load collec-

tors as well as the loadstep are automatically created

At „Solve Analysis― you may also view the FEM input

deck (ASCII Syntax) as well as the solver log file.

The solver log file cotains information about model

size, estimated memory and CPU and lists (comments)

any warnings and errors. Take some time and view both

files.

The process guide is available as a User Profile

(HyperWorks 11.0 Student Version) or as an external

routine which needs to be manually loaded into Hyper-

Mesh (no installation required). You may download the

process guide and a short explanation from within the

Academic Blog.

Note: The 3D Simplified FEM Process Guide works for

simple solid geometries only, allowing for either tetra–

or hexahedral meshing.

Back to page 1

The 3D Simplified FEM Process Guide

Ideally, the FEM novice should explore the effects of, for

instance element type and mesh size on the modeling

result first. Simple models, with an given analytical solu-

tion are quite helpful in this regard.

In this first phase the usage of the FEM system should be

as easy as possible. Due to the rather steep learning cur-

ve FEM beginners evolve into experts rather fast asking

for more sophisticated technologies e.g. hexahedral

meshing, morphing, midsurface generation, etc. Instead

of switching over to a new expert system with a new GUI

and philosophy, it is far more efficient to stick to the

known FEM system with expanded functionalities.

The 3D Simplified FEM Process Guide is the „bridge―

linking the two different requirements!

The

process guides you through all the instances of model

creation—analysis—and postprocessing.

1. The project parameters are defined, i.e. title of the

project (later used as the model file name), date, units

etc. The model as such is either loaded (HyperMesh file

or CAD data) or manualy created through nodes, lines,

surfaces and solids.

HyperWorks Starter Manual

March 2011

Page 8 The 3D Simplified FEM Process Guide

What you need to know / remember:

Geeen edges - 2 surfaces are stiched togehter; the FE

mesh will be linked (compatible), its nodes will line

up with the green edge.

Red edges - indicates free surface edges.

Attention: red edges inside the geometry tell you

that the surfaces are not stiched together (=gap);

the FE mesh will NOT be linked (not compatible).

Yellow edges — minimum of 3 edges are stich togehter;

the FE mesh will be compatible.

Blue edges — Suppressed green edge. Surfaces are

„melted― togehter. In other words, the mesher does

not feel this edge, elements are placed across it.

How to visualise the edge „colors―?

Display is controlled

in the „Tool Bar― by

activating for instan-

ce „By 2D To-

po― (surfaces turn

into grey, edges are

colored respetively)

or „Mixed― (surfaces

are displayed in their

original color (reminder: surfce color is controlled in

the model browser), edges are colored respectively.

Panels to be used for:

Toggle surfaces (combining,

stitching )

Trimming surfaces (splitting)

Suppressing combined edges

Tool Bar-Geometry-Quick Edit opens

up a very comprehensive panel

which allows you (among many other

options) to execute the above listed

tasks.

Back to page 1

Geometry

Typically your CAE projects starts with the import of

given CAD data e.g. CATIA, STEP, UG, IGES, SolidWorks

etc. (of course, you may create your CAD model in Hy-

perMesh as well).

Many times the troubles start now as the imported geo-

metry is not reasonably meshable (btw, this one of the

many reasons why HyperMesh is used in so many places

i.e. HyperMesh is a commercial expert system with supe-

rior tools to overcome meshing troubles).

Some problems related to geometry:

Surfaces are not stiched together (i.e. there is a

gap between surfaces)

Very small surfaces are squeezed between regular

surfaces

Surface edges do not line up properly forming

„jumps― (see figure below. Left: CAD with

„jumps; Middle: mesh with irregual shaped ele-

ments; Right: improved CAD with regular mesh)

The geometry is a thin-walled volume structure -

simplification needed: mid-surface model

Surfaces intersect (t-connection) but don‘t „feel―

each other

Geometry is much too detailed (e.g. tiny fillets

which are not needed for the analysis)

… and many

more ...

All these issues ty-

pically result in a

poor quality mesh!

HyperWorks Starter Manual

March 2011

Page 9 Geometry (I)

If you are targeting at hexahedral meshes (brick ele-

ments) then better use „Mapple―. This mode displays

important hexameshing information such as, can the

part be automatically hexa-meshed etc.

The before mentioned panels describe just a very mi-

nor fraction of HyperMesh‘s geometry cleanup funtio-

nalities.

Once you feel more comfortable with the process, you-

will automatically explore and learn more about other

techniques.

Recommended Tutorials:

Help Document: HyperMesh > HyperMesh Tutorials >

Geometry

Importing and Repairing CAD - HM-2000

Refining Topology to Achieve a Quality Mesh -

HM-2030

Creating and Editing Line Data - HM-2040

Creating and Editing Solid Geometry - HM-2060

Geometry and Mesh Editing Using the Quick Edit

Panel - HM-2070

Recommended Videos:

(to view the free videos, you need to register at the

HyperWorks Client Center using your university E-Mail

address)

Product Video (no HyperWorks installation required)

Edit Geometry Demo

Interactive Tutorial (no HyperWorks installation requi-

red)

HM-2000 Importing and Repairing CAD Models

Back to page 1

How to create geometry (e.g. surfaces)?

Just follow the stan-

dard recommendation

made earlier — make

use of the Menu Bar

and try to build a sen-

tence:

Geometry-Create-

Surfaces– … and then

choose the way the

surface should be

created (… quite self-exemplanatory)

In fact, the same rule (procedure) applies to other

items/entities as well

Note & reminder: The newly created geometry will be

placed /stored in the

currently active compo-

nent collector. Check

the model browser.

If you are working on a

solid geometry, the abo-

ve listed rules also

apply.

To dis-

play in-

formation

about the

solid geo-

metry

topology

(„connectivity―) activate „By 3D Topo―.

HyperWorks Starter Manual

March 2011

Page 10 Geometry (II)

What you need to know:

Element size = the element size in the model may devi-

ate from the specified size considerably (it depends on

the size of the surface)

Mesh type = mixed; default (is a combination of many

quad-shaped elements and some tria elements). Leads

to rather smooth meshes.

Elems to surf comp vs. Elems to current comp = speci-

fies the „storage― place of the elements (please see

General remearks II & III).

Start meshing, explore the meaning of the other set-

tings latter!

What may happen is that the mesh looks a bit wired …

Some surfaces apparently have cause troubles. Not

really. It is a matter of your visual settings. In this

example the geometry is still shaded, overprinting the

mesh in some spots. Putting the geometry in wireframe

and shading the elements

improves the mesh visibi-

lity.

Note: In case you don‘t see any mesh, check the model

browser and the status of the corresponding collector

(is the

elem icon

activa-

ted?)

Back to page 1

Meshing

Once geometry cleanup (e.g. surfaces ares stitched to-

gether — no

u n w a n t e d

r e d e d g e s

i n s i d e t h e

geometry) is

c om p le t ed

mesh ing i s

next.

Some rules of thumb first:

The mesh should look

rather smooth and

regular (keep in mind

that the analysis is

based on your mesh &

mesh quality.

Use the simplest ele-

ment type suited for

the problem.

Start with a coarse

mesh and understand the modeling results; then

use a finer mesh if needed

Try to limit mesh related uncertainites to a mini-

mum if possible—make it simple it will get more

complicated automatically

2D Meshing

Menu Bar—Mesh—Create—2D

Automesh

Note: Remember the sentence

structure

The 2D meshing panel is then

opened

HyperWorks Starter Manual

March 2011

Page 11 Meshing (I)

Advanced:

Most likely, the following section exceeds the intenti-

ons of this Starter Kit as we‘re going into some details:

How to isolate the failed elements from the rest?

Just follow this process:

Perform element check (e.g. length)

Activate „save failed― (= failed elements are

stored in the User Mark)

Turn all elements off from the display (best by

using the Model Brow- ser)

Activate the Find icon

to find elements stored in the User

Mark.

Elements in the User Marsk can be accessed by

clicking the yellow „elems― panel (which

opens the extend selection window), select

„retrieve“

This action will display the failed elements

only.

In order to better understand

where are the failed ele-

ments / and why they failed

add adjacent elements to the

display by clicking on the icon

Back to page 1

How to check element quality?

Activate the corresponding icon will open up

the check elements panel

Insert your values and then Green=action.

In the Status Bar you will find a summary about the num-

ber of checked elements, failed elements etc.

Some typical values (depended on the simulation; not a

MUST)

Warpage 20

Aspect 5

Skew …

Min angle Quads 40

Max angle Quads 140

Min angle Tria 30

Max angle Tria 15

Length …

Jacobian 0.5

Taper 0.5 / ?

What you need to know:

The element check is performed with respect to the

elements displayed, and NOT with respect to the entire

database of the model (which may contain more ele-

ments).

Read more:

Help document: HyperMesh > Meshing > Checking & Edi-

ting Mesh

HyperWorks Starter Manual

March 2011

Page 12 Meshing (II)

Geom-wireframe Elems-shaded

Mesh compatibility

How to check for elements not properly merged

(linked) together?

To search for

nodes being not

equivalenced

(merged) use

Mesh-Check-

Nodes-

Equivalence

If free element

edges are found

(i.e. their nodes

not being mer-

ged with other

nodes), 1D Plot

elements are

automatically

created and stored in the component collector named

^edges. Just turn off all other component collectors

(through the Model Browser) and you will see the

„problematic― areas (connectivities).

Still, in big models these problematic spots may be

hard to see. Therefore, add (attach) the 2D elements

adjacent to the 1D Plot elements i.e. these are the

elements which are not properly mer-

ged. Hereto, just activate the icon:

Unmask Adjacent

This will eventually create „Islands of

troubles―

which help you to locate

and understand its causes.

Back to page 1

Whenever you encounter bad quality elements it is im-

portant (actually helpful) to understand its causes.

Most of the time, bad quality elements can be found at

surface edges due to „misaligned― surface edges.

Meshing this area leads to (unwanted) tapered elements.

Improving the surface connectivity, for instance by

surpressing a green (shared) edge (toggle) or by repla-

cing the geometry points to the same location, or by

splitting (trimming) the surfaces produces a highly im-

proved mesh.

To resolve this issue, you may try the functionality:

Geometry-Quick Edit-toggle edge; or replace point or

simply split (trim) surface-node

What you need to remember:

After meshing is

completed your re-

sults may look

„strange―:

You may see only

some elements;

others seem to disap-

pear etc.

Make sure that the geometry visualisation is set to wi-

reframe and the element display is set to be shaded.

HyperWorks Starter Manual

March 2011

Page 13 Meshing (III)

Back to page 1

Recommended Tutorials:

Help Document: HyperMesh Tutorials > Meshing > 2-D

Elements >

AutoMeshing - HM-3100

Checking and Editing Mesh - HM-3300

Recommended Videos

(to view the free videos, you need to register at the Hy-

perWorks Client Center using your university E-Mail

address)

Product Videos (10-15 minute; no HyperWorks installati-

on required)

Mesh Creation and Editing Demonstration

Editing Mesh Demonstration

Toplogy Revision Using Quick Edit and Automatic

Remeshing

Interactive Tutorials (no HyperWorks installation requi-

red)

HM-2030 Refining Topology to Achieve a Quality

Mesh

HM-3100 AutoMeshing

HyperWorks Starter Manual

March 2011

Page 14 Meshing (IV)

4. Specify a

Card Image (Card images are defined within a solver

interface template and allow for creation, editing, and

deletion of a solver card within a HyperMesh model (in

simpler and less acurate words — the Card Image defi-

nes the FEM solver syntax)

MAT 1 defines the material properties for linear, tem-

perature-independent, isotropic materials.

Typically you need to now values for Young’s Modulus

(E); Poisson’s Ratio (nu); Mass Density (Rho). Just click

on the corresponding „label― which then will open up a

field allowing you to enter the corresponding value.

General Information about MAT1:

Help Document: Reference Guide > Bulk Data Format >

Input Data > Bulk Data Section: MAT1

Recommended Reading:

Help Document: Reference Guide > Bulk Data Format >

Input Data > Material Property Check:

Material Property Checks for MAT1

Back to page 1

Material

If not alrea-

dy previously

specified it is now imperative to define the User Profile

(FEM Program to be used for the analysis). Here we use

the User Profile OptiStruct.

Reminder: In the HyperWorks Student Version Radioss

(bulk), OptiStruct and the

„Simplified FEM Process

Guide― are available,

only .

Defining Material Data:

There are multiple ways to create FE entitites such a

surfaces, ele-

ments, materi-

als, loads etc.

1. One simple

way is a right

mouse button

click in the

Model Browser

(Create-

Material).

2. This opens

up a window

asking you for

the material

type e.g. Isoptropic.

3. Assign a name to it e.g. steel (note: there is no mate-

rial database behind steel, you‘ll need to specify the

data in the next step yourself).

HyperWorks Starter Manual

March 2011

Page 15 Material

In the following we assume that the model consists of

2D elements.

1. We need to set the Type to 2D

2. Assign a name to the property e.g. prop_2D

3. Specify a Card Image (~FEM solver syntax):

PSHELL

General Information about PSHELL

Help Document: Reference Guide > Bulk Data Format >

Input Data > Bulk Data Section: PSHELL

4. Before crea-

ting the Pro-

perty Collec-

tor, select the

register Mate-

rial, activate

Assign materi-

al, and select

the previously

created mate-

rial (if you

wish to view

the material

(its vlaues)

just click on

Edit).

Back to page 1

Note: Pay attention to the unit system—be consistent

throughout your model e.g. don‘t mix mm and m or ki-

logram and tons in the model …

In fact, chosing the corect units will make your life ea-

sier. For instance, if you use Force in N, Young‘s Modu-

lus in N/mm2, Mass in tons, Density tons/mm3 etc. the

calulated stresses will be displayed in MPa directly.

Most popular units are:

Property

As with the material definition, make use of the Model

Browser – Right Mouse Button Click:

HyperWorks Starter Manual

March 2011

Page 16 Material & Property (I)

To visually check the property (and hence material)

assigned to the elements change the visual attributes

of the elements:

You will note that the elements will be displayed in the

color of the material– and property collector, respec-

tivly.

Note: Elements without assigned property or material

will be shown in grey color.

Tip: Never use grey color for property and material

collector as it will hinder the visual check.

Back to page 1

4. Make sure that the check box:

„Card edit property upon creation― is activated.

Only then you‘ll see „inside― the property collector :

As we are dealing with 2D elements all you need to

do is to specifiy their assigned thickness T.

Thus, the Property Collector comprises information

about both, the (element) thickness and the material to

be used.

Note: If you need e.g. 4 different T values you need to

create 4 different property collectors.

We are almost through!

5. The property collector must be assigned to the

elements. In

the Model

Browser Right

Mouse Button

Click on the

property collec-

tor of interest,

then select

„Assign―. This

opens up a pa-

nel which al-

lows you to

select the

respective elements ...

HyperWorks Starter Manual

March 2011

Page 17 Property (II)

Once the load collector (here named „constraints―) has

been created, the constraints as such need to be ap-

plied

The selected node(s) will be constraint with respect to

translational displacements in x-,y-,z-direction (dof1,

dof2, dof3) and/or their rotational degrees of freedom

(rotation about x-, y-, z-axis; also dof4, dof5, dof6) by

activating the respective check box.

Leaving the check box blank simply implies: constraint

is not activated. The setting depicted below moves the

selcted node(s) by 1 (unit as in material definition) in

x—direction.

Note: Constraints are also called Single Point

Constraints (SPC)

Applying Foces:

2. As in step 1 we need to create a load collector, as-

sign a name and color, no CardImage needed. Then

enter the panel BC‘s-Create-Forces

Back to page 1

Loads & Constraints

In the fourth step of the General FEM Process loads and

constraints are applied to the model.

Applying Constraints:

1. We need to

create a load

collector first.

Right Mouse

Button Click in

the Model

Browser.

Assign a Name and a

Color (to be used for display purposes). For simple mo-

dels typically no CardImage is needed

Learn more:

Help Document: Frequently Asked Questions > RADIOSS

(Bulk Data Format), OptiStruct > FEA Setup and Mode-

ling: How can I apply multiple constraints or loads in a

subcase?

HyperWorks Starter Manual

March 2011

Page 18 Loads & Constraints (I)

The corresponding panel „asks― you for a name of the

load step and which constraints (SPC) and forces

(LOAD) are acting simultaneously. The analysis type is

also specified in here.

Attention: Don‘t mix up the constraints and load col-

lectors. This will cause an error during the analysis.

Now the model set-up is completed. Before hitting the

solve button check the model again for any likely er-

rors.

By the way – where would you expect errors or at least

modeling uncertainites?

Recommended Tutorial

Help Document: HyperWorks Solvers > RADIOSS > Basic

Small Displacement Finite Element Analysis:

Linear Static Analysis of a Plate with a Hole - RD-1000

Recommended Reading

Help Document: Frequently Asked Questions > RADIOSS

(Bulk Data Format), OptiStruct > FEA Setup and Mode-

ling:

How can I apply multiple constraints or loads in

a subcase?

How can I specify an enforced displacement in a

subcase (or loadstep) in an OptiStruct input

deck?

What kinds of checking does the check run per-

form? What is the difference between the

CHECK and the ANALYSIS card in the input deck?

Help Document: HyperMesh Entities & Solver Interfaces

Recommended Video

(to view the free videos, you need to register at the

HyperWorks Client Center using your university E-Mail

address)

Product Video (no HyperWorks installation required )

HyperMesh 10.0 Self Paced Update

Back to page 1

The unit system of the forces applied to the nodes cor-

responds to what was used in the material card (e.g.

Young‘s Modulus N/mm2).

The direction of the force may be defined along the di-

rection defined through N1 and N2 (N3 not defined),

along the normal of a plane (N1, N2, N3) or through

(just activate the

toggleleft of N1)

The magnitude you may specify in here

refers to the symbol size used for displaying the forces

(the same option is available in the constraints panel).

Note: Constraints and forces MUST be stored in different

load collectors. The forces stored within a load collec-

tor can be different with respect to their orientation

and/or magnitude. The same accounts for constraints.

Through the Model Browser the constraints and load

symbols can be turned on/off.

Finally, we need to create a load step (also called

substep or subcase)

HyperWorks Starter Manual

March 2011

Page 19 Loads & Constraints (II)

In the Standard HyperWorks

version you may use Applicati-

ons-RADIOSS instead.

Make sure that „run options:― is set to „analysis―

and „export options:― to „all―.

Most likely your first run will be accompanied by war-

nings and/or errors. Warnings indicate that for instan-

ce, the element quality is poor. Errors may be issued if

element quality is out of the (default) range of bad but

still acceptable values. Errors simply will terminate the

run. Some errors are directly displayed in the GUI

However, the best

way to understand

and resolve errors is

to check the *.out

file (ASCII format).

The *.out file is saved in the directory of the model

run.

As an example:

*** ERROR # 1237 ***

CQUAD4 element number 2 references a missing pro-

perty ID 2

or uses property of incorrect type for this element

type.

This tells us that the CQUAD4 element (standard ele-

ment type) is missing a property: this may indicate that

we missed to assign the property to the element (see

page 15, step 5) OR the property assigned to the ele-

ment is incorrect. The latter may indicate that in the

Property Collector a CardImage not suited for 2D ele-

ments was used - for instance PSOLID which belongs to

3D elements (instead of PSHELL).

Back to page 1

Run Analysis & Postprocessing

1. Save the final version of the model as an *.hm file

(binary format;all entities are saved incl. geometry).

2. Export the mo-

del (ASCII format).

As the User Profile

was previously set

to OptiStruct, you

only need to speci-

fy the model na-

me / file name.

Note: Please use

the file extension

*.fem

In the Student Version the analysis can be started

through Analysis-Radioss

HyperWorks Starter Manual

March 2011

Page 20 Solve

Tip: Animate your results—even though it was a static

analysis, and check the global and local (where the

constraints are placed) model behavior

Another helpful check related to likely mesh effects is

carried out by plotting element stresses (not avera-

ged). „Severe― stress jumps across elements (not ac-

ross material boundaries) typically indicate that the

mesh needs to be refined. As depicted in the figure „B;

coarse mesh―, stresses are changing significantly ac-

ross two elements (from red to green). In „A― this tran-

sition is smoother.

Another mesh effect becomes apparent: the stress pat-

tern in „B― is not symmetrical, despite the symmetrical

model (and loading). This is imposed by the

„distorted― Quad-Elements and the Tria-Elements …

Note: FEM programs do not check whether the input

data are meaningful. For instance, there may be typos

in the Young‘s modulus, element thickness, magnitude

of your loading, wrong constraints, mesh „mistakes―

etc. As long as the FEM can solve the equations — you

will get a result. Regardless whether it is correct or

not.

Back to page 1

Note: Read the error message in the out file (you don‘t

need to understand every single word). For instance,

take the hint about „missing property―, go back to your

model and check everything associated with „property―.

This for sure will help you resolving the error.

Postprocessing

The FEM run went through – you may think that eve-

rything must be ok. now. This is a quite dangerous con-

ception—be careful.

In the HyperWorks 11.0 Desktop Version split the screen

and activate the client HyperView (Postprocessing).

After reading in the results

file (*.res or *.h3d) have a

look at the global displace-

ments.

Activate the icon

and specify „Result type: Displacement―

Are the displayed magnitudes reasonable? Magnitudes in

the order of e.g. 10e5 indicate that the model is pursu-

ing a kind of rigid body motion —> constraints are erro-

neous.

Check the constraints in some detail. Is the local

„response― of the model „correct―?

HyperWorks Starter Manual

March 2011

Page 21 Solve & Postprocessing

Recommended Tutorials

Help Document: HyperWorks Desktop > Hyper-

View > Animation: Loading Model Files - HV-

1000

Help Document: HyperWorks Desktop > Hyper-

View > Animation:Using the Animation Controls

- HV-1010

Back to page 1

Another option to better see any likely mesh effects is

given by creating a Difference Plot i.e. plotting the dif-

ference between the maximum and minimum corner

results at a node.

In the figure the maximum nodal difference values are

depicted. In the coarse mesh (B) the nodal differences

are high, indicating an unsuitable mesh.

General Remark: FEM programs do not check whether

the input data are meaningful. For instance, there may

be typos in the Young‘s modulus, element thickness,

magnitude of your loading, wrong constraints, mesh

„mistakes“ etc. As long as the FEM can solve the equati-

ons — you will get a result. Regardless whether it is

correct or not.

Recommended Reading

Help Document: HyperView > Graphical User In-

terface > HyperView Toolbars: Results Toolbar

Help Document: HyperView > Animation Types

(HyperView)

Help Document: HyperView > Results > Deformed

Panel

Help Document > User‘s Guide > Animating Re-

sults > Contour Panel

HyperWorks Starter Manual

March 2011

Page 22 Postprocessing

General Remarks

Never dare asking questions, sometimes you learn so

much during a short coffee break which otherwise

would cost you half a day of trial an error …

Throughout the CAE project always ask yourself:

Preprocessing:

What is the principle objective of the study

(stresses, displacements)?

What do you know about the environment― (i.e.

boundaries) the component is embedded in?

What do you know about the component you are

modeling / analysing? Is there any information

available about its current performance?

Are there similar models and solutions available?

What about the timetable?

What about available hardware and software? Is

the software suited to solve the physics invol-

ved?

Where is the model data (material, constraints,

loads etc.) coming from? When?

What are the uncertainties?

Did you use consistent units in the model?

Postprocessing:

Does the model behave in a way you would ex-

pect (engineering knowledge)?

Are the calculated magnitudes (stresses, displa-

cements) meaningful?

How robust is the result (for instance, is the

result independent of element size and type)?

In the summary report: Is the model description

sufficient and self explanatory (i.e. type of ele-

ments, size, number)

If you assumed a linear static case: are the de-

flections and rotations small?

Did you discuss the model & results with your

colleagues?

Back to page 1

Where to learn more about HyperWorks

To improve your practical skills regarding Modeling, Ana-

lysis (implicit & explicit), Optimization, Multibody Dyna-

mics, and Manufacturing you may should look at:

Standard HyperWorks tutorials available within the

HyperWorks Help installation

Standard seminar notes (see the Academic Blog for a

comprehensive overview)

Webinars (product specific & industry related)

Attend highly discounted seminars at Altair and at

your campus

User Meetings

Academic Newsletter

Academic Blog (www.altairunversity.com)

Foren (listed in the Academic Blog)

HyperWorks Starter Manual

March 2011

Page 23 End & Beginning