Cyclic Symmetry
Cyclic symmetry is a type of symmetry in which a representative (or basic) segment, if patterned circularly about an axis of symmetry would result in the full model.
Structures with symmetry can often be modelled with one representative entity, from which the full structure can be obtained after certain operations (pattern, mirror, rotation, etc.). Such methods can lead to huge savings in modelling effort, computational time, and file storage. Therefore, exploiting symmetry in finite element models could prove to be very advantageous.
- The two faces/edges (Source and Target) need to be of same size, shape, congruent and should have identical mesh.
To obtain identical surface mesh on both entity, symmetry mesh control needs to be used for surface meshing.
Description
After selecting the Source and Target entities, if the mesh on both entities is symmetry, then the angle between the entities is internally computed and listed in the dialog and if not symmetry then it throws the error message and if the mesh is same.
The cyclic symmetry, loads and constraints are applied to one of the sectors of the full model, after solving the results are displayed for the full model.
Cards supported for various solvers
| Solver | Supported Cards |
|---|---|
| OptiStruct / Nastran | CYAX, CYJOIN, CYSYM |