Introduction to ANSYS

ANSYS Workbench
This is a project management tool. It can be considered as the top level interface linking all
over the software tools. Workbench handles the passing of data between ANSYS Geometry/ Mesh/
Solver/ Post processing tools. This greatly helps the project management.
ANSYS Workbench is a convenient way of managing your simulation projects. Workbench
is used to launch the individual software components, and used to transfer data between them. It
is easy to see at-a-glace how a model has been built, and determine which files were used for a
particular simulation (pairing geometry files to solver runs) Workbench also makes it
straightforward to perform parametric analyses (without the user needing to manually launch each
application in turn), and makes it easy to simulate multi-physics scenarios like fluid-structure
interaction.
You do not worry about the individual’s files on disk (geometry, mesh etc). Because
workbench can manage the individual applications and pass data between them, It is easy to
automatically perform the design studies (parametric analysis) for the design optimization.
ANSYS is a finite element analysis package used widely in industry to simulate the response
of a physical system to structural loading, and thermal and electromagnetic effects. ANSYS uses
the finite-element method to solve the underlying governing equations and the associated problem-
specific boundary conditions.

Figure 1: ANSYS Workbench

Overview
The ANSYS Workbench platform is the backbone for delivering a comprehensive and
integrated simulation system to our customers. Using Workbench for your product development
simulations will result in higher productivity from integrated applications leveraging common and
compatible data models. Workbench gives you access to multi-physics and systems level insights
that could not be attained before.

Page 1 of 9
 Workbench is equipped with RSM integration as well, therefore you can submit Fluent, CFX,
and Mechanical simulations to cloud hardware on Rescale. Using Rescale In-Browser Desktops to
open/set-up your workbench project and submit your simulations directly to Rescale clusters.
The workbench consist of;
• Toolbox
• The Project Schematic
• The Tool bar & Menu Bar
Toolbox
ANSYS Workbench Toolbox presents the types of data which you can add to our project.
As we select the different items to the project schematic or other Workspace, the context of the
toolbox may change to reflect the components and actions available to you.
The Toolbox contains the different systems which we can drag to the Project Schematic.
These systems are given in the following categories;
• Analysis Systems
• Component Systems
• Custom Systems
• Design Explorations
Analysis System
Analysis Systems are ready-made stencils that include all the individual systems
(applications) needed for common analyses (for example Geometry + Mesh + Solver).

Figure 2: Tool Box

Component Systems
Component Systems are the individual building-blocks for each stage of the analysis.

Page 2 of 9
 Figure 3: Component Systems

Custom Systems
The Custom Systems are also the important for analysis.
Design Explorations
Design Exploration provides tools for optimizing designs and understanding the
parametric response.
Project Schematic
When we interact with a simulation project, we will work primarily in the Project
Schematic view of the Project tab, by adding the systems from the toolbox to the project and when
working with those systems. Projects can vary in complexity, from a single system representing
all the necessary steps for a desired analysis, to a complex set of connected systems representing
the coupled analysis or variations in the modeling approaches.

Figure 4: Project Schematic

Basic Workflow
Dragging an Analysis System onto the Project Schematic lays out a workflow, comprising
all the steps needed for a typical analysis. Workflow is from top to bottom. As each stage is
complete, the icon at the right-hand side changes.

Page 3 of 9
 Figure 5: Basic Workflow

Alternative Workflow
However, an analysis could equally well be prepared by selecting the individual Component
Systems that are needed for this analysis, and then linking them together with connectors.

Figure 6: Alternative Workflow

Cell States
As each stage in the model-build is completed, the state of the cell changes.

Table 1: Cell States

Icon Meaning

Up to Date

Refresh required. Upstream data has changed

Update required. Local data has changed
Unfulfilled. Upstream data does not exist

Page 4 of 9
 Attention Required
Solving

Update Failed
Update Interrupted
Changes pending (was up-to-date, but upstream data has changed)

Status after creating Geometry in A2, not yet opened mesh in A3.

Figure 7: Status after creating Geometry

Status after model has converged, waiting for post-processing

Figure 8: Status after model has converged

Sharing Data b/w Different Solvers

Workbench can be used to transfer data between solvers. In this 1-way FSI (fluid- structure-
interaction) example, we transfer the loads from a Fluent.

Page 5 of 9
 The square connector shows The round connector shows
that the geometry created in that the CFD results are being
cell A2 (CFD model) is being transferred as a Setup (input)
shared with cell B3 (FEA condition to be used for FEA
model). stress analysis.

Figure 9: Sharing Data

File Location on Disk

Should you need to identify the individual files on your disk for each stage of the project,
these can be found by enabling View > Files. The resulting table will cross reference the
directory and filename with the project cells.

Figure 10: File Location on Disk

Use of Archive / Restore

The workbench project comprises many files and directories. If you need to either archive
the project, or bundle it to send to us for a Technical Support query, use the ‘Archive’ tool. This
generates a single zip file of the entire project.

Page 6 of 9
 Figure 11: Use of Archive / Restore

Working with Parameters / Refresh and Update

• To make changes, you can manually open up a component cell (e.g. geometry)
• Or: most Workbench applications will let you specify key quantities as a parameter. A
new object ‘Parameter Set’ appears on the Project schematic.
• You then need to update your model. From Workbench you can choose to then update the
entire project, or just a single cell.
Refresh
Reads upstream data, but will not do any lengthy operation like solving or meshing.
Update
Performs both a Refresh, AND generates the new output

Figure 12: Refresh and Update

Context Menu Operations

The context menu operations are given below;
• New Geometry
• Import Geometry
• Edit
• Replace

Page 7 of 9
 • Geometry
• Duplicate
• Transfer Data From New
• Transfer Data to New Update
• Update From CAD
• Stop
• Refresh
• Reset
• Resume
• Rename
• Properties
• Quick Help

Figure 13: Context Menu Operations

Basic Steps Involved in a Simulation

Some basic steps which are involved in the simulation are given below;
1. Define the Simulation Process
2. Engineering Data and the Geometry Design
3. Defining Connections between the Bodies
4. Meshing the Created Model
5. Defining the Loads and Boundary Conditions
6. Understanding and Verifying the Results
7. Automated Report Generation

Different Analysis Systems

Following are the important different analysis systems;
Requirements
Specifying the non-functional requirements such as the system availability.

Page 8 of 9
Project Planning
Contributing the estimates, assumptions and constrains to the project planning initiatives. A
system analyst may act as a information technology expert who advises a project.
Data Analysis
It involves such as the evaluation of the data quality.
Integration Analysis
Planning the integration of processes, systems, services and the data.
Measurement & Benchmarking
Developing technology metrics and benchmarks.
Capability Analysis
Evaluating the capabilities of the products, technologies, infrastructures, services and
platforms etc.
Prototyping
Prototyping design alternatives such as the products, platforms and APIs.
Design
Designing solutions such as the software design or data model.
Risk Management
Identification and the analysis of the information technology risks. For example, an analysis
of the risks associated with the legacy system.
Incidents & Problems
Troubleshooting incidents and the resolving the root cause of problems.
Quality Assurance
The process of the preventing problems and continually improving the systems.

Page 9 of 9