Chapter 6:

Transient

ANSYS Mechanical

Dynamics

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Overview Training Manual

Transient structural analysis provides users with the ability to

determine the dynamic response of the system under any type of
time-varying loads.
Unlike rigid dynamic analyses, bodies can be either rigid or flexible. For
flexible bodies, nonlinear materials can be included, and stresses and
strains can be output.
Transient structural analysis is also known as time-history
time history analysis or
transient structural
analysis.

To perform Flexible
Dynamic Analyses, an
ANSYS Structural,
ANSYS Mechanical, or
ANSYS Multiphysics
license is required

Assembly shown here is from an Autodesk Inventor sample model

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Topics Covered Training Manual

Background Information:
A. Introduction to Transient Structural Analyses
B. Preliminary Linear Dynamic Studies
C Background
C. B k d IInformation
f ti on Nonlinear
N li Analyses
A l

Procedural Information:
D Demo Impact Problem
D.
E. Part Specification and Meshing
F. Nonlinear Materials
G. Contact;; Joints;; and Springs
p g
H. Initial Conditions
I. Loads; Supports; and Joint Conditions
J. Damping
K. Transient Structural Analysis Settings
L. Reviewing Results

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A. Introduction Training Manual

Transient structural analyses are needed to evaluate the response of

deformable bodies when inertial effects become significant.
If inertial and damping effects can be ignored, consider performing a
linear or nonlinear static analysis instead
If the loading is purely sinusoidal and the response is linear, a harmonic
response analysis is more efficient
If the
th bodies
b di can be b assumed d to
t be
b rigid
i id and
d the
th kinematics
ki ti off the
th system
t
is of interest, rigid dynamic analysis is more cost-effective
In all other cases, transient structural analyses should be used, as it is
the most general type of dynamic analysis

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 Introduction Training Manual

In a transient structural analysis, Workbench Mechanical solves the

general equation of motion:

[M ]{&x&}+ [C ]{x&}+ [K (x )]{x} = {F (t )}

Some points of interest:
Applied loads and joint conditions may be a function of time and space.
As seen above, inertial and damping effects are now included. Hence,
the user should include density and damping in the model.
Nonlinear effects, such as geometric, material, and/or contact
nonlinearities, are included by updating the stiffness matrix.

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 Introduction Training Manual

Transient structural analysis encompasses static structural analysis

and rigid dynamic analysis, and it allows for all types of Connections,
Loads, and Supports.
However, one of the important considerations of performing transient
structural analysis is the time step size:
The time step should be small enough to correctly describe the time-
varying loads
The time step size controls the accuracy of capturing the dynamic
response. Hence, running a preliminary modal analysis is suggested in
Section B
B.
The time step size also controls the accuracy and convergence behavior
of nonlinear systems. Background information on the Newton-Raphson
method is ppresented in Section C.

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B. Preliminary Modal Analysis Training Manual

While transient structural analyses use automatic time-stepping,

proper selection of the initial, minimum, and maximum time steps is
important to represent the dynamic response accurately:
Unlike rigid dynamic analyses which use explicit time integration,
transient structural analyses use implicit time integration. Hence, the
time steps are usually larger for transient structural analyses
The dynamic response can be thought of as various mode shapes of the
structure being excited by a loading. The initial time step should be
based on the modes (or frequency content) of the system.
It is recommended to use automatic time-stepping
time stepping (default):
The maximum time step can be chosen based on accuracy concerns. This
value can be defined as the same or slightly larger than the initial time step
The minimum time step can be input to prevent Workbench Mechanical from
solving
l i indefinitely.
i d fi it l Thi
This minimum
i i ti
time step
t can b be iinputt as 1/100 or 1/1000 off
the initial time step

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 Preliminary Modal Analysis Training Manual

A general suggestion for selection of the initial time step is to use the
following equation:
1
tinitiall =
20 f response
where fresponse is the frequency of the highest mode of interest

In order to determine the highest mode of interest, a preliminary

modal analysis should be performed prior to the transient structural
analysis
In this way, the user can determine what the mode shapes of the
structure are (i.e., how the structure may respond dynamically)
The user can also then determine the value of fresponse

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 Preliminary Modal Analysis Training Manual

Points of Consideration:
The automatic time-stepping algorithm will increase or decrease the
size of the time step during the course of the analysis based on the
calculated response frequency.
Automatic time-stepping algorithm still relies on reasonable values of
initial, minimum, and maximum time steps
If the minimum time step is being used, that may indicate that the initial
time step size was too large. The user can plot the time step size by
selecting Solution Output: Time Increment from the Details view of the
Solution Information branch
When performing a modal analysis to determine an appropriate
response frequency value, it is not sufficient to request a certain
number of modes,
modes then to use the maximum frequency
frequency. It is a good
idea to examine the various mode shapes to determine which
frequency may be the highest mode of interest contributing to the
p
response of the structure.

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C. Including Nonlinearities Training Manual

There are several sources of nonlinear behavior, and a transient

structural analysis may often include nonlinearities:

Geometric nonlinearities: If a structure

experiences large deformations, its
changing geometric configuration can
cause nonlinear behavior.
behavior

Material nonlinearities: A nonlinear stress-strain

relationship,
p such as metal plasticity
p y shown on
the right, is another source of nonlinearities.

Contact: Include effects of contact is a type

off changing
h i status
t t nonlinearity,
li it where
h an
abrupt change in stiffness may occur when
bodies come in or out of contact with each other.

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 Including Nonlinearities Training Manual

In a linear analysis, the applied force F and

displacement x of the system are related such
that doubling the force would double the F
displacement, stresses, and strains
This assumes that the change in the original and K
final deformed shapes is negligible since the same
stiffness matrix [K] is used
x
In a nonlinear analysis, the relationship between
th applied
the li d fforce F and
d di
displacement
l t x is
i nott
known beforehand
As the geometry undergoes deformation, so too, F
does the stiffness matrix [K] change
The Newton-Raphson method needs to be
implemented to solve nonlinear problems

x
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 Including Nonlinearities Training Manual

Nonlinear analyses require several solution iterations:

The actual relationship between applied load and deformation (dotted
green line below) is not known a priori
The Newton-Raphson method, which can be thought of as a series of
linear approximations with corrections, is performed (solid blue lines)
The load Fa is applied to the structure. Based on the new deformed shape,
internal force F1 is calculated
calculated. If Fa F1 then the system is not in equilibrium
equilibrium. A
new stiffness matrix [K] (slope of blue line) is calculated based on the current
conditions.
This process is repeated until Fa =Fi for iteration i, at which point the solution is
said to be converged
Oftentimes, the applied load Fa must be
split into smaller increments in order for Fa
4
convergence to occur
occur. Hence
Hence, for a ramped 3

load, a smaller time step may be needed F1

2

to ensure convergence
1

x1 x
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 Including Nonlinearities Training Manual

As shown from the previous slides, the time step size will also have
an influence on nonlinear analyses:
The time step size should be small enough to allow the Newton-Raphson
method to obtain force equilibrium (convergence)
The user may also need to specify the initial, minimum, and maximum
timesteps based on nonlinear considerations

Usually, the dynamic considerations for picking a time step size as

discussed in Section B is sufficient.
Si
Since Workbench
W kb h Mechanical
M h i l only l uses one sett off time
ti steps,
t resolving
l i
the dynamic response often provides a small enough time step to resolve
nonlinear effects as well.
Determination of the time step size based on nonlinear considerations is
often not as straightforward as choosing the dynamic time step size.
Hence, the user may rely on automatic time-stepping algorithm to ensure
convergence and accuracy.

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 Including Nonlinearities Training Manual

The automatic time-stepping algorithm takes into account the

following nonlinear effects:
If force equilibrium (or some other convergence criterion) is not satisfied,
bisection occurs
If an element has excessive distortion, bisection occurs
If the maximum plastic strain increment exceeds 15%, bisection occurs
Optional:
p if contact status changes
g abruptly,
p y, bisection occurs

Bisection is part of the automatic time-stepping algorithm, when the

solver goes back to the previously converged solution at time ti and
uses a smaller time increment ti.
Bisections provide an automated means to solve nonlinear problems
more accurately or to overcome convergence difficulties.
Note,
Note however
however, that bisections result in wasted solver time since the
solution returns to the previously converged solution and tries again with
a smaller time step. Hence, choosing the right initial and maximum time
step can minimize the number of bisections that occur

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 Including Nonlinearities Training Manual

By default, large deformation effects and automatic time-stepping will

be active:
The user does not need to do anything special to account for
nonlinearities.
However, as noted before, if nonlinear effects dominate, the time step size may
be dictated by nonlinear considerations rather than dynamic concerns.
Large
Large Deflection
Deflection can be toggled in the Details view of the Analysis
Analysis Settings
Settings
branch
If the user wants to turn on time step size checks based on contact
status, this can be done in with Time Step Controls in the Details view
of a given contact region.
Using this option may decrease the time step to ensure correct momentum
transfer between parts in impact-type of situations
Note,
Note however
however, that the time step may become excessively small
small, so this is not
recommended in general, especially for preliminary analyses

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 Procedure:

Transient

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E. Part Specification Training Manual

In a transient structural analysis, parts may be rigid or flexible:

Under the Geometry branch, the Stiffness Behavior can be toggled
from Flexible to Rigid on a per-part basis
Rigid and flexible parts can co-exist in the same model
Consideration for flexible parts are the same as in static analyses:
Specify appropriate material properties, such as density, Youngs
Modulus, and Poissons ratio
Nonlinear materials, such as plasticity or hyperelasticity, can also be
included
For rigid parts, the following
f apply:
Line bodies cannot be set to rigid
Multibody parts must have all bodies set to rigid
Density is the only material property needed to
calculate mass properties. All other material
specifications will be ignored.
An Inertial
Inertial Coordinate System
System will automatically
be defined at the centroid of the part
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 Part Specification Training Manual

For flexible bodies, the mesh density is based on the following:

The mesh should be fine enough to capture the mode shapes of the
structure (dynamic response)
If stresses and strains are of interest, the mesh should be fine enough to
capture these gradients accurately
For rigid bodies, no mesh is produced
Rigid bodies are rigid, so no
stresses, strains, or relative
deformation is calculated.
Hence no mesh is required
Hence,
Internally, rigid bodies are
represented as point masses
located at the center of its
Inertial Coordinate System

On the figure on the right, one can

see flexible bodies (meshed) and
rigid bodies (not meshed) in the
same model. Assembly shown here is from an Autodesk Inventor sample model

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F. Nonlinear Materials Training Manual

For flexible bodies, nonlinear materials may be defined:

Metal plasticity:
Define Youngs modulus and Poissons ratio
Select either isotropic or kinematic hardening law and either bilinear or
multilinear representation of stress-strain curve
For multilinear stress-strain curve, remember that values should be logarithmic plastic
strain vs. true stress
Hyperelasticity:
Select a hyperelastic model based on strain invariants (neo-Hookean,
Polynomial, Mooney-Rivlin, or Yeoh) or principal stretch (Ogden):
If material constants are not known,
known enter test data,
data then select hyperelastic model on
which to perform curve-fit
If material constants are known, select hyperelastic model and enter constants
To account for inertial effects, density should also be defined for
both flexible and rigid bodies.
Material damping, discussed in Section I, may also be input for
flexible bodies.

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G. Contact; Joints; Springs Training Manual

Contact, joints, or springs can be defined under the Connections

branch in transient structural analyses
Contact is defined between solid and surface bodies (rigid parts must be
single body). Contact is used when parts can come in and out of contact
or if frictional effects are important.
Nonlinear contact (rough, frictionless, frictional) may be defined for faces of
solid or surface bodies (flexible or rigid) at v12.
Joints are defined for 3D rigid or flexible bodies only. Joints can be
defined between two bodies or from one body to ground. Joints are
meant to model mechanisms where the part(s) are connected but relative
motion is possible.
Joints are defined faces, lines, or keypoints of 3D solid, surface, or line bodies,
both flexible and rigid.
Springs are defined for 3D rigid or flexible bodies
bodies. Springs provide
longitudinal stiffness and damping for the scoped region(s), meant to
represent stiffness/damping effects of parts not explicitly modeled.
Springs can be defined on vertices, edges, or faces of 3D bodies
Defined springs cannot have zero length

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 Contact Training Manual

Contact regions can be defined between flexible bodies:

Contact is useful when the contacting area is not known beforehand or if
the contacting area changes during the course of the analysis
Any type of contact behavior (linear, nonlinear) can be specified,
including frictional effects

Play
Pl Animation
A i i

In the animation, some

surfaces of two parts are
initially
y not in contact,, but
as the analysis
progresses, the surfaces
come into contact, as
shown on the right,
allowing for forces to be
transmitted between the
two bodies.
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 Contact Training Manual

In contact, parts are prevented from penetrating into each other. The
different type of contact describe behavior in the separation and
sliding directions:

Normal Direction Tangential Direction

yp
Contact Type Separate
p Slide
Bonded no no
No Separation no yes
Rough yes no
Frictionless yes yes
Frictional yes yes (when Ft N)

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 Contact Training Manual

Different contact formulations allow for establishing the mathematical

relationship between contacting solid bodies:
For bonded and no separation contact, the contacting areas are known
beforehand based on the geometry and pinball region
The recommended contact formulation to use is either Pure Penalty (default)
or MPC
For rough,
rough frictionless,
frictionless and frictional contact,
contact
the actual contacting areas are not known
a priori, so an iterative approach is required
The recommended contact formulation to use
is Augmented Lagrange

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 Joints Training Manual

Joints can be defined between bodies or from a body to ground:

Joints define the allowed motion (kinematic constraint) on surface(s)
Various types of joints can be defined for flexible or rigid bodies:
Fixed, Revolute, Cylindrical, Translational, Slot, Universal, Spherical, Planar,
or General Joints
Definition and configuration
g of joints
j is covered in a separate
p training
g
course named ANSYS Rigid and Flexible Dynamic Analysis.
Unlike rigid dynamic analysis, the actual not relative degrees of
freedom are specified.

The animation on the right shows

an assembly using cylindrical and
revolute joints
Assembly shown here is from an Autodesk Inventor sample model
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 Joints Training Manual

In transient structural analyses, the user has an additional option of

specifying the behavior of the joint:
Rigid (default) behavior means that the scoped surface(s) will not
deform but be treated as rigid surface(s). This means that a scoped
cylindrical surface will remain cylindrical throughout the analysis.
Deformable behavior means that while the
joint constraint is satisfied,
satisfied the scoped
surface(s) are free to deform. This means that
a scoped cylindrical surface may not remain
cylindrical throughout the analysis.

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 Springs Training Manual

Springs can be defined between bodies or from body to ground:

Springs define the stiffness and/or damping of surface(s)
Refer to Section I for additional details on damping
Springs can be defined for rigid or flexible bodies
These are longitudinal springs, so the stiffness or damping is related to
the change in length of the spring
The spring must not have zero length
Springs can be defined on vertices, edges, or surfaces
Definition and configuration of springs is covered in a separate training
course named ANSYS Rigid and Flexible Dynamic Analysis.

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H. Initial Conditions Training Manual

For a transient structural analysis, initial displacement and initial

velocity is required:
User can define initial conditions via Initial Condition branch or by
using multiple Steps

Defining initial displacement & velocity with the

Initial Condition object:
Default condition is that all bodies are at rest
No additional action needs to be taken

If some bodies have zero initial displacement but

non-zero constant initial velocity, this can be input
Only bodies can be specified
Enter constant initial velocity (Cannot specify more
than one constant velocity value with this method)

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 Initial Conditions Training Manual

Defining initial displacement & velocity by using multiple Steps:

This technique is required for all other situations
Leave Initial Conditions to At Rest. For Analysis Settings, use 2
Steps over a small time interval:
First Step should have very small Step End Time in Details view. Also,
change Time Integration: Off and Auto Time Stepping: Off only for the first
Step. Modify Define
Define by: Substeps
Substeps with Number
Number of Substeps: 1.
1 .
Apply a Displacement support with appropriate values (discussed in
next slide) in Step 1. Deactivate this Displacement support in Step 2.
The idea behind such a technique q is that the first Step,
p solved over a
small time interval t1, will provide an initial displacement & velocity
based on an imposed xinitial Displacement support.

x1initial
v initial
=
t1
If the time interval t1 is small enough, the effect on the actual ending
time should be negligible
negligible.

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 Initial Conditions Training Manual

Initial displacement = 0, initial velocity 0

Ramp a very small displacement value over a small time interval to produce the
desired initial velocity. Deactivate it for Step 2.

Initial displacement 0, initial velocity 0

Ramp the desired initial displacement over a time interval to produce the
desired initial velocity. Deactivate it for Step 2.

Initial displacement 0, initial velocity = 0

Stepp apply
pp y the desired initial displacement
p over a time interval to ensure that
initial velocity is zero. Deactivate it for Step 2, if necessary.

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I. Loads; Supports; Conditions Training Manual

For rigid bodies, just as in a rigid dynamic analysis, only inertial

loads, remote loads, and joint conditions are supported.
Rigid bodies do not deform, so structural & thermal loads do not apply

For deformable bodies, any type of load can be used:

Inertial and structural loads
Structural supports
Joint (for defined joints) and thermal conditions

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 Time-Varying Loads Training Manual

Structural loads and joint conditions can be input as time-dependent

load histories
When adding a Load or Joint Condition, the
magnitude can be defined as a constant,
tabular value, or function.
The values can be entered directly in the
Workbench Mechanical GUI or entered in
the Engineering Data page

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J. Damping Training Manual

As noted in Section A, the equations solved for in transient structural

analyses also include a damping term

Since the response frequency is not known in advance of running the

simulation, are only two types of damping available:
Viscous damping
p g
beta damping (optionally material-dependent) or by element damping
Numerical damping
See Chapter
p 1 for more details.

The effect of damping is cumulative. Hence, if 2% material-

dependent beta damping and 3% global beta damping is defined, that
part will have 5% damping.

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K. Analysis Settings Training Manual

Besides damping, there are various other

options the user can set under the Analysis
Settings branch.

It is important that the user specify the solution

times in the Step Controls section
The Number of Steps controls how the load
history is divided. As noted in Section G, one
can impose initial conditions with multiple load
steps use Time Integration to toggle whether
inertial effects are active for that step
The Step End Time is the actual simulation
ending time for the Current
Current Step Number
Number
The initial, minimum, and maximum timesteps
should be defined as noted in Sections B & C

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 Analysis Settings Training Manual

The Solver Controls section allows the user

to choose the equation solver, use of weak
springs, and use of large deflection effects

Transient structural analyses may typically

involve large deformations, so Large Deflection:
On should be used (default behavior).
behavior)

Output Controls allows users to control how

frequently data is saved to the ANSYS result file
file.
For multiple step analyses, one can save results
only for the end of the step. Also, one can also
save results at intervals that are as evenly-
spaced as possible (depending on automatic
time-stepping)

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L. Reviewing Results Training Manual

After completion of the solution, reviewing transient structural

analysis results typically involves the following output:
Contour plots and animations
Probe plots and charts

Generatingg contour plots

p and animations are similar to other
structural analyses
Note that the displaced position of rigid
bodies will be shown in the contour result,
but the rigid bodies will not show any
contour result for deformation, stress, or
strain since they are rigid entities
Typically,
Typically animations are generated using
the actual result sets, not distributed sets

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 Reviewing Results Training Manual

Probes are useful in generating time-history charts

to understand the transient response of the system.
Some useful probe results are as follows:
Deformation, stresses, strains, velocities, accelerations
Force and moment reactions
Joint, spring, and bolt pretension results
Chart objects, based on probes, can also be added
to include in reports or as independent figures

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 D. Workshop Transient Analysis Training Manual

In this workshop, you will determine the dynamic response of a

caster wheel exposed to a side impact such as hitting a curb.

WS6: Transient Analysis of a Caster Wheel

Striker
Tool

Wh l
Wheel

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