3 Amazing Structural Analysis Examples for Engineers

So, without further ado, here are three structural analysis examples that highlight the importance of simulation software.

For history on Ansys Mechanical, read: Making the Best in Class Even Better. For a look into Mechanical’s future, read: Structure a New Industry Standard.
 

Structural Analysis Example of How Engineers Design Parts for Additive Manufacturing

These bicycle frame parts need to align if they are to fit into the assembly. This can
be a challenge when engineers produce the parts using additive manufacturing.
Ansys Additive Print reduces distortions enabling the part to be built
properly the first time.

Rosswag later introduced Ansys Additive Print into the development cycle to help predict the internal stresses of the part and how the printing material would perform.

By predicting the distortions and stresses using this simulation process, Rosswag successfully optimized its designs to compensate. As a result, the development time reduced by months and the parts printed properly on the first build.

To learn more about how Rosswag achieved this, read: Reducing the Strain of Additive Manufacturing.
 

The History of Hallquist’s Creation of a Structural Analysis Tool for Nonlinear Dynamics

With the acquisition of Livermore Software Technology Corporation (LSTC), Ansys users will benefit from increased multiphysics compatibility between the Ansys portfolio and the nonlinear dynamics solver of LS-DYNA. This enables engineers to study systems that experience severe material deformation, or failure, over a short timeframe.

Ansys LS-DYNA created this car crash simulation.

John Hallquist began creating LS-DYNA in 1976 at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory to code a solver with explicit time integration that could study nonlinear dynamics. The software’s success led to the creation of LSTC in 1987 — with LS-DYNA serving as the flagship product.

Hallquist and LSTC continued to improve the software to support other analysis methods including:

• Arbitrary Lagrangian Eulerian method
• Incompressible computational fluid dynamics (CFD)
• Conservation element/solution compressible fluids
• Discrete element method (DEM)
• Electromagnetism
• Element-free Galerkin method
• Fluid–structure interaction (FSI)
• Implicit simulations
• Noise, vibration and harshness (NVH)
• Smooth particle hydrodynamics
• Heat transfer

To learn more of the history of LS-DYNA and how its various functionalities will fit into the Ansys portfolio, read: Ansys and LS-DYNA Creator Livermore Software Technology Corporation Sign Definitive Acquisition Agreement.
 

This Structural Analysis Example Piles on the Material Savings

The stronger the soil, the better stability it offers. However, that also means that engineers need to ensure the suction pile can withstand more pressure as it digs into the soil.

Traditionally, engineers simulated the system using radial springs with nonlinear stiffness. This created a conservative solution that used a lot of expensive steel to create the structure.

To address this challenge, Ansys elite channel partner EDRMedeso used Ansys Mechanical to simulate the system using finite element analysis (FEA) and the geomechanics library. They saved their client over $280,000 in material costs without risking the performance of the pile.

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