SOLIDWORKS Simulation – Using Specific Displacement in Design
Designers are often given scenarios where there is a
displacement limit in the design but they need to either find the amount
of force that will be required to reach that displacement or the
displacement limit and force is known but the design needs to be
optimized to work within the given requirements. SOLIDWORKS Simulation
is an excellent tool for a situation such as this.
In this exercise, we will start with a simple part that will be given a specific displacement. The part will have two configurations, one flat and one with a rib to increase rigidity. This method can be used to help design a part with the necessary rigidity for the application.
Model Geometry
Here is the overall geometry of the part that will be used in this exercise.
Here we see the second configuration that will be used. To create this, the standard “Rib” forming tool was used and positioned at the center of the sheet metal.
Study Setup
In Simulation we create a static study. In Fixture we set one end (face) of the part to have Fixed Geometry.
Next, we again use Fixture, go into Advanced and set the opposite face of the part to use reference geometry. With this we can set a specified translation in any direction we choose. In this exercise we will set a translation in the Z-direction of 20mm.
Once this is finished, create a mesh and run the simulation. The results should look something like this.
Now that the part is fixed and has a set displacement we can look at the reaction forces required to achieve this displacement. To do this, Right-click on Results, scroll down and select “List Result Force…”
Here we select the face that was translated. Select Metric results and we see that the flat sheet required 13.7kgf to be displaced 20mm.
To compare this to the design with the rib, Right-click on the study and select Duplicate study and select the “Rib” configuration. This will copy the study setup onto the other configuration.
Again we follow the same steps to find the reaction force.
With the rib, the force required for 20mm of displacement is 24.3kgf, considerably higher than without the rib. We hope you found this tip to be a powerful technique; one that can be used to optimize a very wide range of designs.
In this exercise, we will start with a simple part that will be given a specific displacement. The part will have two configurations, one flat and one with a rib to increase rigidity. This method can be used to help design a part with the necessary rigidity for the application.
Model Geometry
Here is the overall geometry of the part that will be used in this exercise.
Here we see the second configuration that will be used. To create this, the standard “Rib” forming tool was used and positioned at the center of the sheet metal.
Study Setup
In Simulation we create a static study. In Fixture we set one end (face) of the part to have Fixed Geometry.
Next, we again use Fixture, go into Advanced and set the opposite face of the part to use reference geometry. With this we can set a specified translation in any direction we choose. In this exercise we will set a translation in the Z-direction of 20mm.
Once this is finished, create a mesh and run the simulation. The results should look something like this.
Now that the part is fixed and has a set displacement we can look at the reaction forces required to achieve this displacement. To do this, Right-click on Results, scroll down and select “List Result Force…”
Here we select the face that was translated. Select Metric results and we see that the flat sheet required 13.7kgf to be displaced 20mm.
To compare this to the design with the rib, Right-click on the study and select Duplicate study and select the “Rib” configuration. This will copy the study setup onto the other configuration.
Again we follow the same steps to find the reaction force.
With the rib, the force required for 20mm of displacement is 24.3kgf, considerably higher than without the rib. We hope you found this tip to be a powerful technique; one that can be used to optimize a very wide range of designs.
