Point Loads, Point Constraints, Point Heat Loads, Point Prescribed Temperatures, Point Convection Conditions
Selecting these options enables AutoGEM to place small transitional elements around:
• point loads or constraints in your Structure model
• heat loads, prescribed temperatures, or convection conditions in your Thermal model
Any of these point-based modeling entities could distort the results in elements adjacent to the point by introducing singularities—areas of theoretically infinite stress for Structure or infinite flux for Thermal. Thus, whenever possible, you should apply loads and constraints to curves and surfaces, not points.
You can designate these elements as
excluded elements when you define an analysis. If you select
Excluded Elements when you define an analysis,
Creo Simulate automatically highlights the elements that AutoGEM created at point loads, constraints, point heat loads, prescribed temperatures, and convection conditions.
By placing small excluded elements at such points, you ensure that the results for the rest of your model are accurate and are not distorted in surrounding elements.
The best solution is to refine the mesh through the
Isolate for Exclusion AutoGEM Control, recreate the mesh, and rerun the analysis. You can use items on the Isolate for Exclusion
AutoGEM Control dialog box to divide the elements near the local effects, such as concentrated loads, cracks, reentrant corners, and thickness discontinuities between shells. Also, you may optionally specify the isolating elements to be excluded during analysis, so that the singularity does not adversely affect the results of the analysis.
If you must apply the load, constraint, or boundary condition to a point instead of a curve or surface, you can use the check boxes in the Feature Isolation area on the AutoGEM Settings dialog box to mitigate the effects of the singularity on your results. This enables AutoGEM to create small transitional elements around the singularity, lessening the stress or flux concentration.
To take advantage of feature isolation for point loads, constraints, and boundary conditions, you should create these entities on your geometry before using AutoGEM to mesh the model. As a general rule, you should keep these items selected for all models.
For an example of how this feature works, see
Example: Point Loads.