Create a Histogram

A Histogram is a display of grouped frequency distributions, such as the number of particles traveling in particular velocity ranges. The Select Element section is used to determine which elements to collect data from. You can select the group or type of elements.

To select elements for a Histogram:
  1. Select the following group of elements and attributes:
    Group Attribute
    Particle All or any individual particle type (as specified in the Creator).
    Geometry All or any individual section (as specified in the Creator).
    Contact All or any combination of specific particle types or Geometry sections.
    Collision   All or any combination of specific particle types or Geometry sections.
  2. Configure the axes and specify the Time Step and display options.
  3. Click Create Graph to plot the graph.
    Optionally, click Clear Graph to clear the graph. If you modify any setting (including changing the units), click Create Graph again to view the modified graph.
  4. To save the graph data, right-click the graph and then select Export as Text.

Configure the X-axis

In a Histogram, the X-axis, select the attribute and component to plot on the X-axis.

To configure the X-axis:
  1. Click the X-axis tab.
  2. Select the attribute and component to plot on the X-axis.
    The attributes available in the list will depend on the elements that have been previously selected.
    The following table shows the attributes and components available for each element.
    Element Attribute Components
    Particle Attribute Components
    Angular velocity Magnitude, X, Y, Z
    Compressive force N/A
    Diameter N/A
    Distance Define reference object*
    Kinetic energy N/A
    Length N/A
    Mass N/A
    Potential energy N/A
    Residence time N/A
    Rotational kinetic energy N/A
    Time N/A
    Torque Magnitude, X, Y, Z
    Total energy N/A
    Total force Magnitude, X, Y, Z
    Velocity Magnitude, X, Y, Z
    Volume N/A
    Custom property Depends on the number of elements
    Geometry Time N/A
    Contact Contact vector 1 Magnitude, X, Y, Z
    Contact vector 2 Magnitude, X, Y, Z
    Distance Define reference object*
    Normal overlap N/A
    Normal force Magnitude, X, Y, Z
    Tangential force Magnitude, X, Y, Z
    Tangential overlap N/A
    Time N/A
    Custom property Depends on the number of elements
    Collision Average normal force Magnitude, X, Y, Z
    Average tangential force Magnitude, X, Y, Z
    Distance N/A
    Duration N/A
    Maximum normal force Magnitude, X, Y, Z
    Maximum tangential force Magnitude, X, Y, Z
    Normal energy loss N/A
    Number of collisions N/A
    Relative velocity Magnitude, X, Y, Z
    Relative velocity normal Magnitude, X, Y, Z
    Relative velocity tangential Magnitude, X, Y, Z
    Tangential energy loss N/A
    Time N/A
    Total energy loss N/A
    Velocity element A** Magnitude, X, Y, Z
    Note:
    • If the attribute is set to Distance, you must define a point or plane from which the distance is measured. When you select Distance, the Define Reference Object section of the pane will be activated. Select Point or Plane and define its position and, for a plane, its distance from the origin.
    • The X and Y axes are related. The attribute you select to measure on the X-axis will limit those attributes available to measure on the Y-axis. Similarly, if the Y-axis is configured first, the attributes available on the X-axis will be limited.

Configuring the Y-Axis

In a Histogram, the Y-axis measures time element attributes and components.

To configure the Y-axis:
  1. Click the Y-axis tab.
  2. Select the element attribute and component to be plotted on the Y-axis.
    The attributes available in the list will depend on the elements previously selected and the attribute being measured on the X-axis. You can select a component type for certain attributes. This is used to determine which value will be plotted for a particular attribute component. For example, the maximum, minimum, or average particle velocity.
    The following table shows the range of attributes, components, and component types available for each element. 
    Element Attributes Component Type
    Geometry Center of Mass Magnitude, X, Y, Z Average, Max, Min
    Compressive force N/A Average, Max, Min, or Total
    Distance N/A Average, Max or Min
    Pressure N/A Total Pressure, Max, Min
    Torque (element) Magnitude, X, Y, Z Average, Max, Min, or Total
    Total force Magnitude, X, Y, Z Average, Max, Min, or Total
    Velocity Magnitude, X, Y, Z Average, Max, Min, or Total
    Velocity CoM N/A Average, Max, Min
    Custom property Depends on the no. of elements Average, Max, Min, or Total
    Particle Angular velocity Magnitude, X, Y, Z Average, Max, Min, or Total
    Compressive force N/A Average, Max, Min, or Total
    Diameter N/A Average, Max, Min, or Total
    Distance Define ref. object* Average, Max or Min
    Kinetic energy N/A Average, Max, Min, or Total
    Mass N/A Average, Max, Min, or Total
    Number of particles N/A Total or Total in Range**
    Potential energy N/A Average, Max, Min, or Total
    Residence time N/A Average, Max, Min, or Total
    Rotational kinetic energy N/A Average, Max, Min, or Total
    Torque Magnitude, X, Y, Z Average, Max, Min, or Total
    Total energy N/A Average, Max, Min, or Total
    Total force Magnitude, X, Y, Z Average, Max, Min, or Total
    Velocity Magnitude, X, Y, Z Average, Max, Min, or Total
    Volume N/A Average, Max, Min, or Total
    Custom property Depends on no. of elements Average, Max, Min, or Total
    Contact Contact vector 1 Magnitude, X, Y, Z Average, Max or Min
    Contact vector 2 Magnitude, X, Y, Z Average, Max or Min
    Distance Define ref. object* Average, Max or Min
    Normal force Magnitude, X, Y, Z Average, Max, Min, or Total
    Normal overlap N/A Average, Max or Min
    Number of contacts N/A Total or Total in Range**
    Tangential force Magnitude, X, Y, Z Average, Max, Min, or Total
    Tangential overlap N/A Average, Max or Min
    Custom property Depends on no. of elements Average, Max, Min, or Total
    Collision Average normal force Magnitude, X, Y, Z Average, Max, Min, or Total
    Average tangential force Magnitude, X, Y, Z Average, Max, Min, or Total
    Distance Define ref. object* Average, Max or Min
    Duration N/A Average, Max or Min
    Maximum normal force Magnitude, X, Y, Z Average, Max, Min, or Total
    Maximum tangential force Magnitude, X, Y, Z Average, Max, Min, or Total
    Normal energy loss N/A Average, Max, Min, or Total
    Number of collisions N/A Total or Total in Range**
    Relative velocity Magnitude, X, Y, Z Average, Max, Min, or Total
    Relative velocity normal Magnitude, X, Y, Z Average, Max, Min, or Total
    Relative velocity tangential Magnitude, X, Y, Z Average, Max, Min, or Total
    Tangential energy loss N/A Average, Max, Min, or Total
    Total energy loss N/A Average, Max, Min, or Total
    Velocity of element A Magnitude, X, Y, Z Average, Max, Min, or Total
    Velocity of element B Magnitude, X, Y, Z Average, Max, Min, or Total
    Note:
    • If the attribute is set to Distance, you must define a point or plane from which the distance is measured. When you select Distance, the Define Reference Object section of the pane will be activated. Select the point or plane from which the distance should be measured. A point is defined by its xyz position, and a plane by its orientation and distance from the origin.

      When the axis is set to measure the number of particles or number of contacts, you can plot either the total number of particles/contacts or the total number in a defined range. For example, counting only those particles with a mass between 0.1kg and 0.2kg or velocity between 2m/s and 5m/s. When you select Total in Range , the Secondary Attribute section of the pane is activated. Select the attribute and component and enter the maximum and minimum values of that range to restrict the range.

Configuring Graph Settings

You can configure the settings for elements in a particular Time Step or over a range of Time Steps.

To configure settings:
  1. To modify the Current Time Step, use the Current Time control in the Viewer control pane at the right of the screen.
    By default, the Current Time Step is selected. For example, the following Histograms show the distribution of particles traveling in particular velocity ranges - one Time Step, so each particle is only counted once, and the second for a range of 100 Time Steps.




  2. Clear the Current Time Step checkbox to set a different Start and End time.


    Grayed-out Time Steps indicate partial saves and may not contain all the data you want to plot.
  3. Specify the following details:
    For Specify
    Axis Range Specify the number of intervals on each axis. Indicates that the X and Y axis ranges can be determined automatically (from the values of the attributes selected) or entered manually. A greater number of intervals increases the accuracy of the chart.
    Display Options Click to open the dialog box.
    Title Specify a title for the Histogram.
    X-label, Y-label Specify a title for the X-axis and Y-axis labels manually, if required. The labels can also be determined automatically.
    Show grid Select to turn the interval grid on and off.
    Show average value Select to turn the display of the horizontal line showing the average value on and off.
    Show minimum value Select to turn the display of the horizontal line showing the minimum value on and off.
    Show maximum value Select to turn the display of the horizontal line showing the maximum value on and off.