Creo Elements/Direct Finite Element Analysis overview
With Creo Elements/Direct Finite Element Analysis, set up a basic structural or thermal analysis on parts and structures within Creo Elements/Direct Modeling. They simplify and speed up your ability to simulate and predict the reactions of your model to real world forces, conditions, and use.
Creo Elements/Direct Finite Element Analysis allows you to:
• Create Creo Elements/Direct Finite Element Analysis studies early in the design process and make changes quickly in Creo Elements/Direct Modeling to optimize the design.
• Set up loads, boundary conditions, and materials from within the Creo Elements/Direct Modeling environment.
• Generate and optimize surface or volumetric meshes automatically.
• Export mesh information to third-party finite element tools.
• View analysis results graphically using color-coded contouring deformation, and animation.
What is Finite Element Analysis (FEA)?
Finite Element Analysis is a computerized method for predicting how a real object will react to forces, heat, vibration, etc., in terms of whether it will break, wear out or function the way it is supposed to. It is called "analysis", but in the product design cycle it is a technique for predicting what is going to happen when the product is used.
The finite element method works by breaking an object model down into a large number (1000's or 100,000's) of elements, such as little pyramids. The behavior of each element, which is regular in shape, is readily predicted by set mathematical equations. The computer program then evaluates all the individual behaviors to predict the response of the manufactured part.
Previously, engineers used integral and differential calculus in the analysis to break objects down into an infinite number of elements. The "Finite" in Finite Element Analysis comes from the idea that there are a finite number of elements in a finite element model.
The Finite Element Method and related procedures are used to predict the behavior of objects and structures with respect to almost all kinds of physical phenomena:
• Mechanical stress and thermal stress (stress analysis)
• Mechanical vibration
• Heat transfer thermal analysis
• Fluid Flow - both liquid and gaseous fluids
• Various electrical and magnetic phenomena
• Acoustics etc.
FE Analysis/Stress and FE Analysis/Thermal Analysis gives you access to the most commonly used analyses associated with the first three of these categories: mechanical stress, mechanical vibration, and steady-state thermal analysis.
Heat transfer analysis
The FE Analysis/Thermal Analysis module is an add-on module to enhance FE Analysis/Stress with the capability to perform steady-state thermal analysis directly on the Creo Elements/Direct Modeling model. The FE Analysis/Thermal Analysis module provides the following capabilities:
• Temperature Distribution
• Heat Flux
Creo Elements/Direct Finite Element Analysis uses the following types of loads and boundary conditions (LBCs) for heat-transfer analysis:
• Fixed Temperature
• Convection
• Heatflow
• Heat Generation
Thermal Analysis is used to calculate the temperature distribution and related thermal quantities in an object. The nodal degrees of freedom (primary unknown data) are the temperatures.
The three primary modes of heat transfer are convection, conduction, and radiation. In addition to these, there are special thermal effects such as change of phase (melting or freezing) or internal heat generation. Creo Elements/Direct Finite Element Analysis provides analysis for convection and conduction heat transfer.
Relationship between Creo Elements/Direct Finite Element Analysis and Creo Elements/Direct Modeling
All study information, consisting of load and boundary conditions, the associated material information, generated meshes, and analysis results is stored within the Creo Elements/Direct Modeling design package.
Analysis results are written to temporary datasets for use during the open session.
Generated meshes may be exported to a file from within a Creo Elements/Direct Finite Element Analysis session for use in third-party FEA tools by using the buttons in the Output group of the Modify tab.