How to create a set of Mechanical boundary conditions?

To create a set of Mechanical boundary conditions, click the Mechanical boundary conditions node of the Data tree:

Figure 1. The New Mechanical boundary conditions dialog box.


Then, in the New Mechanical boundary conditions dialog box:

  • Provide a name for the Mechanical constraint;
  • Select an option from the Mechanical boundary conditions drop-down menu representing the type of boundary condition. Two possibilities are available:
    • Constraint on degrees of freedom of nodes and
    • Constraint on node displacement.
  • In the case of a Constraint on degrees of freedom of nodes, the user must inform if the nodal degrees of freedom
    • Radial translation,
    • Angular translation and
    • Normal rotation
    are Fixed or Free (unconstrained), by selecting the desired option in the corresponding drop-down menus.
  • On the other hand, for a Constraint on node displacement, the user must provide explicit constraint values for:
    • the Radial displacement (mm),
    • the Angular displacement (mm) and for
    • the Rotation (deg).
  • Finally, select the mesh nodes that will be subjected to the constraint. Two Node selection modes are available:
    • Node selection by line: applies the mechanical constraint to the mesh nodes lying on geometrical lines. A List of lines must be provided as an input.
    • Direct node selection: applies the mechanical constraint to the nodes identified by their numbering in the mesh.