How to calculate the displacement in normal direction?

Robert Schurmann
Robert Schurmann Altair Community Member
edited January 2021 in Community Q&A

Hello everybody,

I use a modal requency response analysis to calculate the displacement of a component. I have already defined a set of nodes, which I use for calculating the displacement. So I receive the displacement in x,y and z direction at this predefined nodes. However, I am interested in the bending behavior, so I want to know the displacement of an element in normal direction.

Is there any possibilty to get to this solution in OptiStruct?

So the algorithm should calculate the normal direction of an element and than take the attached nodes for calculating a displacement in that normal direction.

I hope you have a solution for my struggle.

Kind regards,

Robert

Best Answer

  • tinh
    tinh Altair Community Member
    edited January 2021 Answer ✓
    Maybe it is answer for you! Just check it in Optistruct reference guide

Answers

  • Adriano Koga_20259
    Adriano Koga_20259 New Altair Community Member
    edited December 2020

    the only way I can think of is to create a bunch of local coordinate systems, and assign them to your nodes, as analysis system, so that the output will be according to these systems. You could build a HM script for that, maybe.

     

    Maybe someone else has a better solution.

  • Q.Nguyen-Dai
    Q.Nguyen-Dai Altair Community Member
    edited December 2020

    How you can define the "normal" vector at node?

    In general case, one node could belong to several element. Each element has his normal direction.

  • tinh
    tinh Altair Community Member
    edited December 2020

    Could you show image of your component?

    If its shape is primitive, we can think.

    In general case, calculating normal vector of a node may be tough,

    perhaps take average normal of surrounding elems....

  • Robert Schurmann
    Robert Schurmann Altair Community Member
    edited December 2020

    Unfortunately I am not allowed to show the component I am working on.

    At the Global_Output_Request card there is at displacement unter "Type" actually the possibility to choose "Normal". As a result I receive 3 normal displacements, maybe the normal vector with its components?

  • tinh
    tinh Altair Community Member
    edited January 2021 Answer ✓
    Maybe it is answer for you! Just check it in Optistruct reference guide