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University of Edinburgh
Computer Methods in Structural Engineering 3
Structural Analysis Software
CMSE Computing Project
Author:
Tommy Reynolds
s1230460
16th
March, 2015
CONTENTS
1 INTRODUCTION 2
2 PARAMETRIC MODELLING 2
3 ASSEMBLIES 4
4 FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS AND OPTIMIZATION 7
5 DRAFTING 10
6 CURVES AND SURFACES 11
7 DIRECT MODELLING 13
8 STANDARD PARTS 15
9 RENDERING AND ANIMATION 16
10 CONCLUSION 18
11 GLOSSARY 18
11.1 ISO Drawing Standards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
11.2 Design for X (DFX) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
11.3 Interoperability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
11.4 Computer Numerical Control (CNC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
11.5 Standard Parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
12 REFERENCES 19
13 APPENDIX 20
1
1 INTRODUCTION
In this day and age, CAD modelling is crucial knowledge for any engineer or designer. Various
CAD packages are available, each having various advantages and disadvantages. It has been
decided that Solid Edge will be used in this establishment and this report will provide a detailed
analysis of the features and commands available in the program.
The component which has been chosen to allow for this analysis to take place is a steering wheel
suitable for a formula student team. This includes a small display screen and a quick release
mechanism.
2 PARAMETRIC MODELLING
Parametric modelling is a method of modelling which ensures models are created with real world
attributes. This includes interactions between components which means that any small changes
are recognised by the program and the necessary alterations of other dimensions are changed
automatically. As well as the interactions having great use, variables can be altered to allow
various components of the drawings such as dimensions, lines, circles etc. to have relationships
between each other aiding accuracy and often speeding up the process as a whole.
When drawing the steering wheel, the different features within the parametric modelling envi-
ronment were of great value and aided significantly in the accuracy and correct operation of the
wheel and quick release. When starting a sketch, the program offers a ‘Relate’ tab and an ‘Intel-
lisketch’ tab. These ensure that drawings are accurate and also indicates to the user the various
relationships that are present in the drawing. These tabs and the different relationships available
are shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1: Draw and Relate Tab
Although the individual options are relatively self explanatory, it is possible to find out more
information by hovering over them in the solid edge program. These relationships and the useful
program feature ‘intellisketch’ were used when drawing the base for the steering wheel. It is
almost easy to take the features for granted when drawing as everything works with no trouble
and exactly how the user wishes. However when examining what the program is doing, the
accuracy and understanding of the needs of the user is quite outstanding. Figure 2 shows a
selection of the ‘relate’ tab functions that can help draw an accurate sketch.
When the sketch is complete it is then possible to extrude the sketch to transform it into a 3D
object. It is also useful in certain instances to revolve the sketch around an axis of revolution, loft
or sweep around a helical path. After a model has been created using any of these commands,
other alterations can be made. For example holes, cut-outs, revolved cut-outs, rounds and many
other commands can be performed. When using the hole commands, threads can be added. A
simple extrusion of the base of the steering wheel drawn is shown in Figure 3. This particular
extrusion also included a cut-out command and a round command.
2
Figure 2: Selection of Relate Tab Aids
Figure 3: Basic Extrusion of the Base of the Steering Wheel
3
Once an extrusion, cutout, round or any other command has been completed, it is stored in the
history tree on the left hand side of the workspace screen. This allows the user to go back to
a previously completed command and view or alter it. These alterations can include changes in
dimensions, new additions to sketches and removal of commands altogether. If alterations are
made then the model will automatically update to include the new change. The program is aware
of any conflicts when making alterations and if a problem occurs then the user is notified. This
allows any miscalculations or alterations in the plans to be fixed with ease and also provides
an organised method for the user to work by, leading to the method being called ‘ordered’. An
example of the history tree is shown in Figure 4.
Figure 4: History Tree for Base of Steering Wheel
When using the history tree, the names of each different alteration can be renamed to help
organise the model and perhaps aid another designer if they are required to try to edit the model.
This is a viable solution but a potentially easier method is described in the ‘Direct Modelling’
section.
When creating these parts, it is possible to create a family of parts. Solid Edge provides an inbuilt
solution for this. It is possible to open a dialogue box which provides a simple method of creating
and storing families of parts. This means that parts of similar shape can have their sizes altered
slightly so that the shapes look very similar and the design becomes much more consistent. The
part families dialogue box is shown in Figure 5
3 ASSEMBLIES
When drawing a 3D model, it is nearly always necessary to produce many individual parts and
put them together, or assemble them, after all the individual parts are complete. This ensures
that each part is accurate on its own before it is assembled with other parts. Assemblies have the
unique ability of enabling the user to view a complete object from any angle and also if drawn
correctly, the motion required from the unit can be animated.
When using the assembly command in Solid Edge, the program provides all the required help to
ensure a model is assembled correctly. When inserting a part into an assembly file, Solid Edge
allows the user to select directly from the directory in which the files are saved in. This speeds
up the process of inserting the necessary components significantly. Once each separate part has
been inserted, relationships between the parts can be applied. These relationships are useful in
ensuring that parts interact with each other in the correct way and range from rotating around
4
Figure 5: Family of Parts Dialogue Box
the same axis to pieces slotting into others. The ‘assemble’ tab consists of many of these different
relationships such as align, mate and connect and is shown in Figure 6.
Figure 6: Assemble Tab in Solid Edge
Once the parts have been assembled and relationships between them have been applied, it is then
possible to move the components to view different set ups available from the assembly. Solid
Edge offers tools such as ‘Drag Component’ and ‘Move on Select’ which ensure that components
move to the restrictions placed upon them. It is also possible to include motors in the design to
model the rotations that will be involved in certain situations.
The assembly environment was crucial when creating the steering wheel and quick release. Each
part was assembled to create the total design and then relationships were applied between the
parts to model the real life situations in which they would be involved. The main command used
in assembling the quick release was ‘axial align’. This ensured that each component was aligned
along the same axis. When designing the steering wheel, the ‘mate’ command was used most
frequently. This ensured that each piece was placed very accurately allowing the model to be of
a much higher standard. Another command which was useful when designing the steering wheel
was the ‘mirror feature’ command. This allowed the handle of the steering wheel to be mirrored
about the central axis of the steering wheel, ensuring perfect symmetry in the wheel. It also
removed the problem of creating the different handles for the left and right side of the wheel,
allowing just one handle to be modelled and then mirrored. The final assembly model is shown
in Figure 7 and Figure 8.
5
Figure 7: Front View of the Final Assembly
Figure 8: Rear View of the Final Assembly
6
4 FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS AND OPTIMIZATION
Finite Element Analysis, often shortened to FEA, is a tool which allows the user to observe the
impact of loading and other forces on a 3D model. Whether the task is designing a new project
or improving upon a previous one, FEA can greatly reduce the costs and save a lot of time.
By enabling the user to test the project before it is built, any problems which were not noticed
before can be easily altered and fixed using Solid Edge. This vastly reduces the chance of product
failure when built in real life form, leading to a faster product completion time. Solid Edge uses
an inbuilt package called ‘Solid Edge Simulation’ which is based on the well known Femap and
NX Nastran technology to perform the FEA calculations, ensuring maximum fluidity when in
use. The package allows the user to start a new study on the part being tested. When this study
is created, a material can be chosen to give a more realistic output. After this, a dialogue box
allows the user to select many different options, shown in Figure 9.[2]
Figure 9: Dialogue Box Displayed When Beginning a FEA Calculation
Once the options have been chosen, the inputs for the calculation can be applied. Forces, pressures
and other loads can be applied with different methods of fixing available also. These are all very
user friendly and many different calculations can be performed. Figure 10 demonstrates the
output of a simple FE simulation where a pushing force on the base of the steering wheel has
been simulated. The displacement variation is shown on the right.
Although FEA clearly has many advantages, some features can cause problems. For example, it
is often the case that the analysis becomes over-complex and can give very inaccurate results.
This is why it is often very useful to simplify the design as much as possible before performing
the FEA analysis. This ensures that the forces applied will be demonstrated very accurately
and the necessary alterations can be made in a much more simple fashion. It is crucial that the
user fully understands the calculations which are being performed so that any odd results can be
analysed and fixed, not just assumed to be correct. This may involve the user performing hand
calculations to verify the output.
In some instances, when designing a model, the results given at different mesh values will converge
7
Figure 10: Result of FE Displacement Simulation on Base of Steering Wheel
to an accurate answer. In other cases however, models can have values that do not converge.
This can be observed by plotting the stress values against the different mesh values and observing
whether the answer is going to converge or not. If it is observed that the value is not going to
converge then the design must be fixed to accommodate this. These ever-increasing values tend
to occur at points called singularities. This is commonly when a load is placed at a right angle
and the stress is tending towards infinite. The best way to avoid this problem is by removing the
right angle by using a round of chamfer tool which is available in Solid Edge. The chamfered or
rounded alternative will provide an outright solution and anusre that the final design An example
of this solution is shown in Figures 11 and 12.
Figure 11: Right Angle Mesh [6]
When designing models, different element types are available. These all consist of different degrees
of freedom and the number of these that can be applied to a model can sometimes be the method
in which companies license their software to companies. It is also possible to add degrees of
freedom to a model to allow for more couplings to be analysed. A selection of different element
types is shown in Figure 13.
Optimization is the process of improving a model to attempt to reduce cost, size, weight, volume
or various other factors. Solid Edge has recently introduced an optimization option into its
software package. This software can solve multiple scenarios and the results can be viewed using
the ‘simulation results’ environment. These results include stress, displacement, factor of safety
8
Figure 12: Fillet Mesh [6]
Figure 13: Different Element Types [5]
9
and various other useful outputs. Design limits can be applied to make the program produce
optimum models and the results from these models can be quickly and easily displayed in a
graph. The optimization dialogue box which allows the user to input design limits, variables and
other parameters is shown in Figure 14.
Figure 14: Optimization Dialogue Box
This section of Solid Edge is complicated and difficult to understand unlike a lot of other areas
of the program. Errors are still displayed and corrective measures are suggested however it seems
that a lack of user friendliness is present, possibly due to the recent addition of the software to
the program.
5 DRAFTING
When producing 3D models, it is often very useful to produce engineering drawings to aid in
understanding the more detailed areas of the model such as the specific dimensions and cross
sections. Drafting is the process of creating these drawings from a 3D model. The different
engineering drawings which are created can also be dimensioned fully according to the necessary
ISO drawing standards.
Solid Edge offers this drafting service with great ease, allowing the user to select from a large
variety of views. When creating a draft, it is possible to simply select the object which is to
be drawn then the views which are required can be quickly selected. Solid Edge is capable of
producing principle views, auxiliary views, sectioned views and many other if required. The
selection available is shown in Figure 15.
Figure 15: Drawing Views tab in Solid Edge
As well as providing the various views, Solid Edge also allows accurate dimensioning of the new
views which have been created. This process can take time because of the number of dimensions
that need to be applied but this would also be the case if drawing in real life, making this only a
slight disappointment. All necessary annotation is also provided and the drawings can be scaled
as appropriate to the page size being used. Part lists can be created very quickly, providing a list
10
of all the components that the drawing consists of. Some examples of these drawings are shown
in the appendix.
6 CURVES AND SURFACES
Curves and surfaces are now being used more and more frequently in many applications through-
out the engineering world. The curves allow smooth designs in applications such as the automotive
industry, aerospace industry and luxury designs. It has been an ongoing problem for many years
for designers to produce smooth curves and various methods have been used to attempt to make
the process easier. In the past, engineers used splines to create these smooth curves which was a
very long and tedious process. This involved using specific materials (often lead) to bend around
pins to create long, smooth curves. This often caused curves to be very difficult to accurately
draw. More recently, curves are being drawn using a very similar method but using a CAD pro-
gram. This allows curves to differ slightly from the spline method and could result in the curve
not actually touching all the control points. These curves are called ‘approximating’ curves and a
curve that does touch all the control points is called a ‘interpolating curve’. An example of these
different curves is shown in Figure 16 [3].
Figure 16: Different Spline Curves
The first example of the ‘approximating curve’ was by a French mathematician called Pierre
B´ezier. The B´ezier curve has a set start and end point with approximated intermediate points.
This results in the curves being slightly more simple to manage and also can ease in the joining
curves together. The curves follow the shape of a control polygon which a polygon made up out
of the control points set for the curve. This means that moving one point of the curve can cause
the rest of the curve to change shape and not only the part connected to that control point. An
example of the formation of different B´ezier curves is shown in Figure 17.
Figure 17: Example of Different Bezier Curves [4]
11
When drawing a curve using Solid Edge, this complicated procedure is vastly simplified. The
command which allows the user to draw these curves is appropriately named ‘curve’ and allows
the user to select a start point, intermediated points and an end point of the curve. As of Solid
Edge version 6, the user friendliness of drawing the curves has increased significantly. This is
because of the addition of the curve modifiers, shown as the red dots in Figure 18. When the
user has drawn a curve, Solid Edge allows the user to move or delete the control points of the
curve and directly alter the shape of the curve which vastly increases the user friendliness of the
command. A curve drawn using Solid Edge is shown in Figure 18.
Figure 18: Curve Drawn Using Solid Edge
Once a curve has been drawn, the properties of the curve can be altered. Once alteration which
can help with editing the curve is changing the degree. This means that more points are added
to the curve that can be altered, leading to a much more accurate design. The additional points
are shown in Figure 19.
Figure 19: Curve Drawn Using Solid Edge with Extra Control Points
As well as curves, surfaces can also be produced using Solid Edge. These consist of lofts, sweeps
12
and helical extrusions. When creating a loft the user selects two curves between which the
program will create a surface. The surface is created in a similar fashion to any other extrusion
or loft and can be edited with great ease. An example of a loft is shown in Figure 20.
Figure 20: Loft Drawn Between Two Curves
A sweep is very similar to a loft however instead of following a straight line between two curves, a
sweep can follow a curve between the two curves. This is not difficult to achieve using Solid Edge
and although this was not used in the Steering wheel or quick release design, it will definitely be
useful for other projects which the program will be used to model.
Another example of a surface is a helical protrusion. This can be used to create threads, springs
and other helical shaped objects. The program allows for the pitch of the helix to be determined
along with the diameter or various sizes of the shape to be rotated. The start and end point can be
determined and a preview can be given to ensure all entries were as required. The spring used in
the quick release was produced using the helical protrusion tool and is shown in Figure 21.
Figure 21: Spring Drawn Using Helical Protrusion Tool
7 DIRECT MODELLING
Direct Modelling is a very useful method of drawing which allows the user to alter the geome-
try of a shape very quickly. The Solid Edge program offers direct modelling in a mode called
‘synchronous’ which is one of two drawing options, the other being ‘ordered’. When using syn-
chronous, dimensions can be altered by simply dragging parts of the model which reduces the
13
need for time consuming sketches and extrusions. As well as speeding up the process of drawing
the shape, alterations can be made with great ease. The user can simply select a face and drag
the arrow which appears to enlarge the surface. It is also possible to move holes or cut-outs and
alter the size of rounds with great ease. If any new parts are to be added then similar commands
to that of the ordered method are available. For example a hole can be placed by inputting the
sizes necessary and clicking on the face in which it is to be applied. Whilst using this method,
the program offers a ’Live Rules’ bar at the bottom of the screen. This allows for any relation-
ships which are present in the design to be turned on or off. Options are also available to edit
the bar and to restore the rules back to the default setting. Synchronous is commonly used to
edit designs and Solid Edge makes this process seamless with a ’transfer to synchronous’ option
available, although it can be used to model from scratch. When editing the model any user is able
to follow on from another users work with great ease because as long as the necessary alterations
are known, each command can be implemented with ease. This is where the synchronous mode
is much more advantageous to the alternative ordered. An alteration made to the base of the
steering wheel using the ‘synchronous’ mode is shown in Figure 22 and the ‘Live Rules’ bar is
shown in Figure 23.
Figure 22: Base Altered Using ‘Synchronous’ Mode
Figure 23: Live Rules Bar
When comparing synchronous to the ordered or history method, both have advantages over the
other. Ordered tends to be more useful when initially drawing models because of the increased
accuracy and variety of commands available. It is often the case that ordered will be used
throughout if only one person is creating the model as it is assumed that the person will be aware
of the steps they have taken to complete the model. Although this is normally the case, some
models can become extremely complicated and it may be useful to use synchronous to edit a
part without having to look through the whole history tree. This is why synchronous is also used
when different people need to edit a previous model as no previous knowledge of the model is
14
necessary, only the steps needed to alter the model in the desired way.
8 STANDARD PARTS
Standard parts in a CAD modelling package such as Solid Edge are simply parts that are used
frequently throughout a model or design. The parts may be predefined and certain dimensions
will be available to be altered, producing very similar parts with slight parametric alterations
according to the application in which they are being used. The most common parts available
tend to be nuts, bolts, springs, ball bearings and other connecting or complicated small set ups
which would be very time consuming to draw separately. The Solid Edge program does provide
an integrated standard parts library however the majority of companies will buy in a range
of standard parts to use in their models to ensure consistency throughout the company. If a
company does decide to use the Standard Parts option integrated in the Solid Edge program then
the library of parts is of a reasonable standard. When inserting a part it is possible to select the
Standard Parts Manager instead of parts from the directory. In this menu it is possible to search
for the parts by visual, categorical or specific name headers. When the user selects the part, a
small display shows either an image or a dimensioned preview which is extremely helpful in finding
the piece which is required. A selection of industry standard set ups are available for selection
in each part and when selected, the part can be opened for use. The Standard Parts menu and
an example of a part which can be downloaded from the manager are shown in Figure 24 and
Figure 25.
Figure 24: Standard Part Manager
When buying in parts from different websites, there are a few main contenders. Firstly ‘GrabCAD’
is a website which offers a huge range of CAD models which can be downloaded. These models
have been generated by other users and uploaded to help designers speed up their model building.
When using this website it is possible to use a feature called ‘Workbench’ which allows many users
15
Figure 25: Part Created Using Standard Part Manager
to use the same models and update these as they progress in the design of the final model. The
problem which can arise in this instance is that users may alter a part which could have a negative
follow on effect on model which involves the part, making the new part not work. The LCD screen
and Arduino board were both downloaded from GrabCAD and integrated directly into the model
with no problem.
Another website which offers parts to download is ‘traceparts’. This website contains over 100
million parts and these are split up into different catalogues. Each catalogue is provided by
different companies and contains a large variety of parts. The catalogues can be filtered to show
3D parts, 2D parts, price and other factors making selection of the company much easier.
When comparing the two, each has its own advantages and disadvantages. Because GrabCAD
is based on user content, the amount of files available is much smaller however it is possible to
request a model and change models once they have been downloaded. Traceparts has many more
files however the parts cannot be edited when downloaded and it can be difficult to find specific
parts because of the large catalogues of models. It does however have the advantage of assuring
the user that the models are of a high standard because of the companies producing them.
9 RENDERING AND ANIMATION
Rendering is the part of CAE which allows designers to show off their products in the most realistic
way possible. Solid Edge is linked with a piece of software called ‘KeyShot Rendering’ and this
allows the user to link the modelling environment with the rendering with great ease. ‘KeyShot’
can be activated by selecting ‘ERA’ in Solid Edge. The ‘Keyshot’ software is very impressive,
allowing the user to add backgrounds, materials colours and different lighting to the model on
which they are working on. As well as this, ‘KeyShot’ adds shadows, reflections and light spots
to create a visually stunning and extremely realistic looking render. ‘KeyShot’ works with the
model environment ensuring that any updates in the Solid Edge workspace can be updated in the
rendering environment to reduce time spent opening and closing the files. This means that many
different angles and set ups of the model can be rendered with great ease. A rendered view of the
assembly in exploded and assembled form is shown in Figure 26 and Figure 27 respectively.
As well as offering a very powerful rendering package, Solid Edge also makes animating models
very easy. When a FE calculation is performed, an option is provided to show the animation of
the force being applied. This can be saved as a movie and can be found in the appendix. As
well as this, the explosion of a model can be animated. This is achieved via an animation editor
and each step of the explosion can be edited along with the camera angle, speed of movement
and many other factors. It is also possible to animate using ‘KeyShot’ which again results in a
very visually impressive output however can cause problems in slower computers because of the
processing power required. An example of this explosion animation is also shown in the appendix
and the animation editor is shown in Figure 28.
16
Figure 26: Rendered View of Assembly Explosion [1]
Figure 27: Rendered View of Assembly [1]
17
Figure 28: Animation Editor in Solid Edge
10 CONCLUSION
After analysing the many aspects and features that Solid Edge offers and using the program to
design the steering wheel, many advantages and few disadvantages have been found. Firstly the
method in which sketches are drawn and extrusions performed through ordered or synchronous
is seamless. Any problems encountered can be solved quickly and accurately with curves and
surfaces causing few problems considering the complexity of them. After completing all separate
parts the assembly of the components is not difficult, allowing many relationships between parts
to be applied leading to an accurate model being drawn. Once the assembly is created, further
work such as FEA and rendering can be completed without any trouble. The program makes
these steps very simple because of all the software being integrated to work seamlessly. Drafts
can be drawn very accurately and although dimensioning does take time, it is very accurate and
professional.
Overall the program has impressed and will be a valuable addition to the company.
11 GLOSSARY
11.1 ISO Drawing Standards
Ensures that drawings are kept to a set standard and makes it easier for whoever is viewing
the drawings as each will have the same dimensions style, sizes and annotations. Solid Edge
adheres to these standards automatically. Used here to ensure that all drafts and drawings are
at a minimum standard and can be understood by anyone who views them.
11.2 Design for X (DFX)
Method used to promote cooperation and progression in the product design sector. The X can be
replaced with various terms such as Cost, Test or Manufacture to speed up processes and allow
every department to work towards the same goal. In this instance it was the case that the design
of the steering wheel was for understanding and evaluation of the Solid Edge program. Could
also be used as design for build and manufacture in this case.
18
11.3 Interoperability
Allows different computer programs to share data and edit over various pieces of software. Allows
for much more detailed editing but must always be able to be understood by the user as well as
the programs. In this case the micro-controller board which was downloaded from the internet
may have been built on a program other than Solid Edge but still worked with no problems.
11.4 Computer Numerical Control (CNC)
Controls the movement of a machine or robot through numerical commands given by a computer.
Can be used in manufacture to produce real life models from CAD drawings. This could be used
to produce the steering wheel that was drawn.
11.5 Standard Parts
Certain parts that can be used frequently throughout the design of anything from electronic
circuits to cars. Saves money and time by reducing the variation in part construction. In this
case the bolts used to fix the steering wheel to the quick release were standard parts offered by
Solid Edge.
12 REFERENCES
[1] CompareStorePrices Discounts and Special Offers, V8 Engine Coffee Table, http://www.
comparestoreprices.co.uk/coffee-tables/unbranded-v8-engine-coffee-table.asp, date accessed:
22/11/14
[2] Simulation: Siemens PLM Software, Solid Edge, http://www.plm.automation.siemens.com/
en gb/products/velocity/solidedge/overview/add on apps/simulation.shtml, date accessed
21/11/14
[3] Spline Curves, Chapter 14, http://people.cs.clemson.edu/∼dhouse/courses/405/notes/
splines.pdf, date accessed: 20/11/14
[4] Jason Davies, Animated B´ezier Curves, http://www.jasondavies.com/animated-bezier/, date
accessed: 19/11/14
[5] Applied Mechanics of Solids, Introduction to Finite Element Analysis in Solid Mechanics,
Allan F. Bower, http://solidmechanics.org/Text/Chapter7 1/Chapter7 1 files/image020.gif,
dateaccessed:26/11/14
[6] Andy’s Log, Stress Singularities, https://andreweib.wordpress.com/, date accessed
24/11/14
Used throughout the report: CAE 3 Notes, Frank Mill, Various, last accessed: 25/11/14
19
13 APPENDIX
Please find the animations mentioned in the section ‘Rendering and Animation’ in the CAE3F
drive via: CAE3F, Transcend, CAE 3, 24 Nov.
20
Figure 29: Full Assembly Draft
21
Figure 30: Steering Wheel Base Draft
22
Figure 31: Steering Wheel Handle Draft
23
Figure 32: Quick Release Spindle Draft
24
Figure 33: Quick Release Boss Draft
25
Figure 34: Quick Release Overclip Draft
26

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CAE_Final

  • 1. University of Edinburgh Computer Methods in Structural Engineering 3 Structural Analysis Software CMSE Computing Project Author: Tommy Reynolds s1230460 16th March, 2015
  • 2. CONTENTS 1 INTRODUCTION 2 2 PARAMETRIC MODELLING 2 3 ASSEMBLIES 4 4 FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS AND OPTIMIZATION 7 5 DRAFTING 10 6 CURVES AND SURFACES 11 7 DIRECT MODELLING 13 8 STANDARD PARTS 15 9 RENDERING AND ANIMATION 16 10 CONCLUSION 18 11 GLOSSARY 18 11.1 ISO Drawing Standards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 11.2 Design for X (DFX) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 11.3 Interoperability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 11.4 Computer Numerical Control (CNC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 11.5 Standard Parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 12 REFERENCES 19 13 APPENDIX 20 1
  • 3. 1 INTRODUCTION In this day and age, CAD modelling is crucial knowledge for any engineer or designer. Various CAD packages are available, each having various advantages and disadvantages. It has been decided that Solid Edge will be used in this establishment and this report will provide a detailed analysis of the features and commands available in the program. The component which has been chosen to allow for this analysis to take place is a steering wheel suitable for a formula student team. This includes a small display screen and a quick release mechanism. 2 PARAMETRIC MODELLING Parametric modelling is a method of modelling which ensures models are created with real world attributes. This includes interactions between components which means that any small changes are recognised by the program and the necessary alterations of other dimensions are changed automatically. As well as the interactions having great use, variables can be altered to allow various components of the drawings such as dimensions, lines, circles etc. to have relationships between each other aiding accuracy and often speeding up the process as a whole. When drawing the steering wheel, the different features within the parametric modelling envi- ronment were of great value and aided significantly in the accuracy and correct operation of the wheel and quick release. When starting a sketch, the program offers a ‘Relate’ tab and an ‘Intel- lisketch’ tab. These ensure that drawings are accurate and also indicates to the user the various relationships that are present in the drawing. These tabs and the different relationships available are shown in Figure 1. Figure 1: Draw and Relate Tab Although the individual options are relatively self explanatory, it is possible to find out more information by hovering over them in the solid edge program. These relationships and the useful program feature ‘intellisketch’ were used when drawing the base for the steering wheel. It is almost easy to take the features for granted when drawing as everything works with no trouble and exactly how the user wishes. However when examining what the program is doing, the accuracy and understanding of the needs of the user is quite outstanding. Figure 2 shows a selection of the ‘relate’ tab functions that can help draw an accurate sketch. When the sketch is complete it is then possible to extrude the sketch to transform it into a 3D object. It is also useful in certain instances to revolve the sketch around an axis of revolution, loft or sweep around a helical path. After a model has been created using any of these commands, other alterations can be made. For example holes, cut-outs, revolved cut-outs, rounds and many other commands can be performed. When using the hole commands, threads can be added. A simple extrusion of the base of the steering wheel drawn is shown in Figure 3. This particular extrusion also included a cut-out command and a round command. 2
  • 4. Figure 2: Selection of Relate Tab Aids Figure 3: Basic Extrusion of the Base of the Steering Wheel 3
  • 5. Once an extrusion, cutout, round or any other command has been completed, it is stored in the history tree on the left hand side of the workspace screen. This allows the user to go back to a previously completed command and view or alter it. These alterations can include changes in dimensions, new additions to sketches and removal of commands altogether. If alterations are made then the model will automatically update to include the new change. The program is aware of any conflicts when making alterations and if a problem occurs then the user is notified. This allows any miscalculations or alterations in the plans to be fixed with ease and also provides an organised method for the user to work by, leading to the method being called ‘ordered’. An example of the history tree is shown in Figure 4. Figure 4: History Tree for Base of Steering Wheel When using the history tree, the names of each different alteration can be renamed to help organise the model and perhaps aid another designer if they are required to try to edit the model. This is a viable solution but a potentially easier method is described in the ‘Direct Modelling’ section. When creating these parts, it is possible to create a family of parts. Solid Edge provides an inbuilt solution for this. It is possible to open a dialogue box which provides a simple method of creating and storing families of parts. This means that parts of similar shape can have their sizes altered slightly so that the shapes look very similar and the design becomes much more consistent. The part families dialogue box is shown in Figure 5 3 ASSEMBLIES When drawing a 3D model, it is nearly always necessary to produce many individual parts and put them together, or assemble them, after all the individual parts are complete. This ensures that each part is accurate on its own before it is assembled with other parts. Assemblies have the unique ability of enabling the user to view a complete object from any angle and also if drawn correctly, the motion required from the unit can be animated. When using the assembly command in Solid Edge, the program provides all the required help to ensure a model is assembled correctly. When inserting a part into an assembly file, Solid Edge allows the user to select directly from the directory in which the files are saved in. This speeds up the process of inserting the necessary components significantly. Once each separate part has been inserted, relationships between the parts can be applied. These relationships are useful in ensuring that parts interact with each other in the correct way and range from rotating around 4
  • 6. Figure 5: Family of Parts Dialogue Box the same axis to pieces slotting into others. The ‘assemble’ tab consists of many of these different relationships such as align, mate and connect and is shown in Figure 6. Figure 6: Assemble Tab in Solid Edge Once the parts have been assembled and relationships between them have been applied, it is then possible to move the components to view different set ups available from the assembly. Solid Edge offers tools such as ‘Drag Component’ and ‘Move on Select’ which ensure that components move to the restrictions placed upon them. It is also possible to include motors in the design to model the rotations that will be involved in certain situations. The assembly environment was crucial when creating the steering wheel and quick release. Each part was assembled to create the total design and then relationships were applied between the parts to model the real life situations in which they would be involved. The main command used in assembling the quick release was ‘axial align’. This ensured that each component was aligned along the same axis. When designing the steering wheel, the ‘mate’ command was used most frequently. This ensured that each piece was placed very accurately allowing the model to be of a much higher standard. Another command which was useful when designing the steering wheel was the ‘mirror feature’ command. This allowed the handle of the steering wheel to be mirrored about the central axis of the steering wheel, ensuring perfect symmetry in the wheel. It also removed the problem of creating the different handles for the left and right side of the wheel, allowing just one handle to be modelled and then mirrored. The final assembly model is shown in Figure 7 and Figure 8. 5
  • 7. Figure 7: Front View of the Final Assembly Figure 8: Rear View of the Final Assembly 6
  • 8. 4 FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS AND OPTIMIZATION Finite Element Analysis, often shortened to FEA, is a tool which allows the user to observe the impact of loading and other forces on a 3D model. Whether the task is designing a new project or improving upon a previous one, FEA can greatly reduce the costs and save a lot of time. By enabling the user to test the project before it is built, any problems which were not noticed before can be easily altered and fixed using Solid Edge. This vastly reduces the chance of product failure when built in real life form, leading to a faster product completion time. Solid Edge uses an inbuilt package called ‘Solid Edge Simulation’ which is based on the well known Femap and NX Nastran technology to perform the FEA calculations, ensuring maximum fluidity when in use. The package allows the user to start a new study on the part being tested. When this study is created, a material can be chosen to give a more realistic output. After this, a dialogue box allows the user to select many different options, shown in Figure 9.[2] Figure 9: Dialogue Box Displayed When Beginning a FEA Calculation Once the options have been chosen, the inputs for the calculation can be applied. Forces, pressures and other loads can be applied with different methods of fixing available also. These are all very user friendly and many different calculations can be performed. Figure 10 demonstrates the output of a simple FE simulation where a pushing force on the base of the steering wheel has been simulated. The displacement variation is shown on the right. Although FEA clearly has many advantages, some features can cause problems. For example, it is often the case that the analysis becomes over-complex and can give very inaccurate results. This is why it is often very useful to simplify the design as much as possible before performing the FEA analysis. This ensures that the forces applied will be demonstrated very accurately and the necessary alterations can be made in a much more simple fashion. It is crucial that the user fully understands the calculations which are being performed so that any odd results can be analysed and fixed, not just assumed to be correct. This may involve the user performing hand calculations to verify the output. In some instances, when designing a model, the results given at different mesh values will converge 7
  • 9. Figure 10: Result of FE Displacement Simulation on Base of Steering Wheel to an accurate answer. In other cases however, models can have values that do not converge. This can be observed by plotting the stress values against the different mesh values and observing whether the answer is going to converge or not. If it is observed that the value is not going to converge then the design must be fixed to accommodate this. These ever-increasing values tend to occur at points called singularities. This is commonly when a load is placed at a right angle and the stress is tending towards infinite. The best way to avoid this problem is by removing the right angle by using a round of chamfer tool which is available in Solid Edge. The chamfered or rounded alternative will provide an outright solution and anusre that the final design An example of this solution is shown in Figures 11 and 12. Figure 11: Right Angle Mesh [6] When designing models, different element types are available. These all consist of different degrees of freedom and the number of these that can be applied to a model can sometimes be the method in which companies license their software to companies. It is also possible to add degrees of freedom to a model to allow for more couplings to be analysed. A selection of different element types is shown in Figure 13. Optimization is the process of improving a model to attempt to reduce cost, size, weight, volume or various other factors. Solid Edge has recently introduced an optimization option into its software package. This software can solve multiple scenarios and the results can be viewed using the ‘simulation results’ environment. These results include stress, displacement, factor of safety 8
  • 10. Figure 12: Fillet Mesh [6] Figure 13: Different Element Types [5] 9
  • 11. and various other useful outputs. Design limits can be applied to make the program produce optimum models and the results from these models can be quickly and easily displayed in a graph. The optimization dialogue box which allows the user to input design limits, variables and other parameters is shown in Figure 14. Figure 14: Optimization Dialogue Box This section of Solid Edge is complicated and difficult to understand unlike a lot of other areas of the program. Errors are still displayed and corrective measures are suggested however it seems that a lack of user friendliness is present, possibly due to the recent addition of the software to the program. 5 DRAFTING When producing 3D models, it is often very useful to produce engineering drawings to aid in understanding the more detailed areas of the model such as the specific dimensions and cross sections. Drafting is the process of creating these drawings from a 3D model. The different engineering drawings which are created can also be dimensioned fully according to the necessary ISO drawing standards. Solid Edge offers this drafting service with great ease, allowing the user to select from a large variety of views. When creating a draft, it is possible to simply select the object which is to be drawn then the views which are required can be quickly selected. Solid Edge is capable of producing principle views, auxiliary views, sectioned views and many other if required. The selection available is shown in Figure 15. Figure 15: Drawing Views tab in Solid Edge As well as providing the various views, Solid Edge also allows accurate dimensioning of the new views which have been created. This process can take time because of the number of dimensions that need to be applied but this would also be the case if drawing in real life, making this only a slight disappointment. All necessary annotation is also provided and the drawings can be scaled as appropriate to the page size being used. Part lists can be created very quickly, providing a list 10
  • 12. of all the components that the drawing consists of. Some examples of these drawings are shown in the appendix. 6 CURVES AND SURFACES Curves and surfaces are now being used more and more frequently in many applications through- out the engineering world. The curves allow smooth designs in applications such as the automotive industry, aerospace industry and luxury designs. It has been an ongoing problem for many years for designers to produce smooth curves and various methods have been used to attempt to make the process easier. In the past, engineers used splines to create these smooth curves which was a very long and tedious process. This involved using specific materials (often lead) to bend around pins to create long, smooth curves. This often caused curves to be very difficult to accurately draw. More recently, curves are being drawn using a very similar method but using a CAD pro- gram. This allows curves to differ slightly from the spline method and could result in the curve not actually touching all the control points. These curves are called ‘approximating’ curves and a curve that does touch all the control points is called a ‘interpolating curve’. An example of these different curves is shown in Figure 16 [3]. Figure 16: Different Spline Curves The first example of the ‘approximating curve’ was by a French mathematician called Pierre B´ezier. The B´ezier curve has a set start and end point with approximated intermediate points. This results in the curves being slightly more simple to manage and also can ease in the joining curves together. The curves follow the shape of a control polygon which a polygon made up out of the control points set for the curve. This means that moving one point of the curve can cause the rest of the curve to change shape and not only the part connected to that control point. An example of the formation of different B´ezier curves is shown in Figure 17. Figure 17: Example of Different Bezier Curves [4] 11
  • 13. When drawing a curve using Solid Edge, this complicated procedure is vastly simplified. The command which allows the user to draw these curves is appropriately named ‘curve’ and allows the user to select a start point, intermediated points and an end point of the curve. As of Solid Edge version 6, the user friendliness of drawing the curves has increased significantly. This is because of the addition of the curve modifiers, shown as the red dots in Figure 18. When the user has drawn a curve, Solid Edge allows the user to move or delete the control points of the curve and directly alter the shape of the curve which vastly increases the user friendliness of the command. A curve drawn using Solid Edge is shown in Figure 18. Figure 18: Curve Drawn Using Solid Edge Once a curve has been drawn, the properties of the curve can be altered. Once alteration which can help with editing the curve is changing the degree. This means that more points are added to the curve that can be altered, leading to a much more accurate design. The additional points are shown in Figure 19. Figure 19: Curve Drawn Using Solid Edge with Extra Control Points As well as curves, surfaces can also be produced using Solid Edge. These consist of lofts, sweeps 12
  • 14. and helical extrusions. When creating a loft the user selects two curves between which the program will create a surface. The surface is created in a similar fashion to any other extrusion or loft and can be edited with great ease. An example of a loft is shown in Figure 20. Figure 20: Loft Drawn Between Two Curves A sweep is very similar to a loft however instead of following a straight line between two curves, a sweep can follow a curve between the two curves. This is not difficult to achieve using Solid Edge and although this was not used in the Steering wheel or quick release design, it will definitely be useful for other projects which the program will be used to model. Another example of a surface is a helical protrusion. This can be used to create threads, springs and other helical shaped objects. The program allows for the pitch of the helix to be determined along with the diameter or various sizes of the shape to be rotated. The start and end point can be determined and a preview can be given to ensure all entries were as required. The spring used in the quick release was produced using the helical protrusion tool and is shown in Figure 21. Figure 21: Spring Drawn Using Helical Protrusion Tool 7 DIRECT MODELLING Direct Modelling is a very useful method of drawing which allows the user to alter the geome- try of a shape very quickly. The Solid Edge program offers direct modelling in a mode called ‘synchronous’ which is one of two drawing options, the other being ‘ordered’. When using syn- chronous, dimensions can be altered by simply dragging parts of the model which reduces the 13
  • 15. need for time consuming sketches and extrusions. As well as speeding up the process of drawing the shape, alterations can be made with great ease. The user can simply select a face and drag the arrow which appears to enlarge the surface. It is also possible to move holes or cut-outs and alter the size of rounds with great ease. If any new parts are to be added then similar commands to that of the ordered method are available. For example a hole can be placed by inputting the sizes necessary and clicking on the face in which it is to be applied. Whilst using this method, the program offers a ’Live Rules’ bar at the bottom of the screen. This allows for any relation- ships which are present in the design to be turned on or off. Options are also available to edit the bar and to restore the rules back to the default setting. Synchronous is commonly used to edit designs and Solid Edge makes this process seamless with a ’transfer to synchronous’ option available, although it can be used to model from scratch. When editing the model any user is able to follow on from another users work with great ease because as long as the necessary alterations are known, each command can be implemented with ease. This is where the synchronous mode is much more advantageous to the alternative ordered. An alteration made to the base of the steering wheel using the ‘synchronous’ mode is shown in Figure 22 and the ‘Live Rules’ bar is shown in Figure 23. Figure 22: Base Altered Using ‘Synchronous’ Mode Figure 23: Live Rules Bar When comparing synchronous to the ordered or history method, both have advantages over the other. Ordered tends to be more useful when initially drawing models because of the increased accuracy and variety of commands available. It is often the case that ordered will be used throughout if only one person is creating the model as it is assumed that the person will be aware of the steps they have taken to complete the model. Although this is normally the case, some models can become extremely complicated and it may be useful to use synchronous to edit a part without having to look through the whole history tree. This is why synchronous is also used when different people need to edit a previous model as no previous knowledge of the model is 14
  • 16. necessary, only the steps needed to alter the model in the desired way. 8 STANDARD PARTS Standard parts in a CAD modelling package such as Solid Edge are simply parts that are used frequently throughout a model or design. The parts may be predefined and certain dimensions will be available to be altered, producing very similar parts with slight parametric alterations according to the application in which they are being used. The most common parts available tend to be nuts, bolts, springs, ball bearings and other connecting or complicated small set ups which would be very time consuming to draw separately. The Solid Edge program does provide an integrated standard parts library however the majority of companies will buy in a range of standard parts to use in their models to ensure consistency throughout the company. If a company does decide to use the Standard Parts option integrated in the Solid Edge program then the library of parts is of a reasonable standard. When inserting a part it is possible to select the Standard Parts Manager instead of parts from the directory. In this menu it is possible to search for the parts by visual, categorical or specific name headers. When the user selects the part, a small display shows either an image or a dimensioned preview which is extremely helpful in finding the piece which is required. A selection of industry standard set ups are available for selection in each part and when selected, the part can be opened for use. The Standard Parts menu and an example of a part which can be downloaded from the manager are shown in Figure 24 and Figure 25. Figure 24: Standard Part Manager When buying in parts from different websites, there are a few main contenders. Firstly ‘GrabCAD’ is a website which offers a huge range of CAD models which can be downloaded. These models have been generated by other users and uploaded to help designers speed up their model building. When using this website it is possible to use a feature called ‘Workbench’ which allows many users 15
  • 17. Figure 25: Part Created Using Standard Part Manager to use the same models and update these as they progress in the design of the final model. The problem which can arise in this instance is that users may alter a part which could have a negative follow on effect on model which involves the part, making the new part not work. The LCD screen and Arduino board were both downloaded from GrabCAD and integrated directly into the model with no problem. Another website which offers parts to download is ‘traceparts’. This website contains over 100 million parts and these are split up into different catalogues. Each catalogue is provided by different companies and contains a large variety of parts. The catalogues can be filtered to show 3D parts, 2D parts, price and other factors making selection of the company much easier. When comparing the two, each has its own advantages and disadvantages. Because GrabCAD is based on user content, the amount of files available is much smaller however it is possible to request a model and change models once they have been downloaded. Traceparts has many more files however the parts cannot be edited when downloaded and it can be difficult to find specific parts because of the large catalogues of models. It does however have the advantage of assuring the user that the models are of a high standard because of the companies producing them. 9 RENDERING AND ANIMATION Rendering is the part of CAE which allows designers to show off their products in the most realistic way possible. Solid Edge is linked with a piece of software called ‘KeyShot Rendering’ and this allows the user to link the modelling environment with the rendering with great ease. ‘KeyShot’ can be activated by selecting ‘ERA’ in Solid Edge. The ‘Keyshot’ software is very impressive, allowing the user to add backgrounds, materials colours and different lighting to the model on which they are working on. As well as this, ‘KeyShot’ adds shadows, reflections and light spots to create a visually stunning and extremely realistic looking render. ‘KeyShot’ works with the model environment ensuring that any updates in the Solid Edge workspace can be updated in the rendering environment to reduce time spent opening and closing the files. This means that many different angles and set ups of the model can be rendered with great ease. A rendered view of the assembly in exploded and assembled form is shown in Figure 26 and Figure 27 respectively. As well as offering a very powerful rendering package, Solid Edge also makes animating models very easy. When a FE calculation is performed, an option is provided to show the animation of the force being applied. This can be saved as a movie and can be found in the appendix. As well as this, the explosion of a model can be animated. This is achieved via an animation editor and each step of the explosion can be edited along with the camera angle, speed of movement and many other factors. It is also possible to animate using ‘KeyShot’ which again results in a very visually impressive output however can cause problems in slower computers because of the processing power required. An example of this explosion animation is also shown in the appendix and the animation editor is shown in Figure 28. 16
  • 18. Figure 26: Rendered View of Assembly Explosion [1] Figure 27: Rendered View of Assembly [1] 17
  • 19. Figure 28: Animation Editor in Solid Edge 10 CONCLUSION After analysing the many aspects and features that Solid Edge offers and using the program to design the steering wheel, many advantages and few disadvantages have been found. Firstly the method in which sketches are drawn and extrusions performed through ordered or synchronous is seamless. Any problems encountered can be solved quickly and accurately with curves and surfaces causing few problems considering the complexity of them. After completing all separate parts the assembly of the components is not difficult, allowing many relationships between parts to be applied leading to an accurate model being drawn. Once the assembly is created, further work such as FEA and rendering can be completed without any trouble. The program makes these steps very simple because of all the software being integrated to work seamlessly. Drafts can be drawn very accurately and although dimensioning does take time, it is very accurate and professional. Overall the program has impressed and will be a valuable addition to the company. 11 GLOSSARY 11.1 ISO Drawing Standards Ensures that drawings are kept to a set standard and makes it easier for whoever is viewing the drawings as each will have the same dimensions style, sizes and annotations. Solid Edge adheres to these standards automatically. Used here to ensure that all drafts and drawings are at a minimum standard and can be understood by anyone who views them. 11.2 Design for X (DFX) Method used to promote cooperation and progression in the product design sector. The X can be replaced with various terms such as Cost, Test or Manufacture to speed up processes and allow every department to work towards the same goal. In this instance it was the case that the design of the steering wheel was for understanding and evaluation of the Solid Edge program. Could also be used as design for build and manufacture in this case. 18
  • 20. 11.3 Interoperability Allows different computer programs to share data and edit over various pieces of software. Allows for much more detailed editing but must always be able to be understood by the user as well as the programs. In this case the micro-controller board which was downloaded from the internet may have been built on a program other than Solid Edge but still worked with no problems. 11.4 Computer Numerical Control (CNC) Controls the movement of a machine or robot through numerical commands given by a computer. Can be used in manufacture to produce real life models from CAD drawings. This could be used to produce the steering wheel that was drawn. 11.5 Standard Parts Certain parts that can be used frequently throughout the design of anything from electronic circuits to cars. Saves money and time by reducing the variation in part construction. In this case the bolts used to fix the steering wheel to the quick release were standard parts offered by Solid Edge. 12 REFERENCES [1] CompareStorePrices Discounts and Special Offers, V8 Engine Coffee Table, http://www. comparestoreprices.co.uk/coffee-tables/unbranded-v8-engine-coffee-table.asp, date accessed: 22/11/14 [2] Simulation: Siemens PLM Software, Solid Edge, http://www.plm.automation.siemens.com/ en gb/products/velocity/solidedge/overview/add on apps/simulation.shtml, date accessed 21/11/14 [3] Spline Curves, Chapter 14, http://people.cs.clemson.edu/∼dhouse/courses/405/notes/ splines.pdf, date accessed: 20/11/14 [4] Jason Davies, Animated B´ezier Curves, http://www.jasondavies.com/animated-bezier/, date accessed: 19/11/14 [5] Applied Mechanics of Solids, Introduction to Finite Element Analysis in Solid Mechanics, Allan F. Bower, http://solidmechanics.org/Text/Chapter7 1/Chapter7 1 files/image020.gif, dateaccessed:26/11/14 [6] Andy’s Log, Stress Singularities, https://andreweib.wordpress.com/, date accessed 24/11/14 Used throughout the report: CAE 3 Notes, Frank Mill, Various, last accessed: 25/11/14 19
  • 21. 13 APPENDIX Please find the animations mentioned in the section ‘Rendering and Animation’ in the CAE3F drive via: CAE3F, Transcend, CAE 3, 24 Nov. 20
  • 22. Figure 29: Full Assembly Draft 21
  • 23. Figure 30: Steering Wheel Base Draft 22
  • 24. Figure 31: Steering Wheel Handle Draft 23
  • 25. Figure 32: Quick Release Spindle Draft 24
  • 26. Figure 33: Quick Release Boss Draft 25
  • 27. Figure 34: Quick Release Overclip Draft 26