A Dynamic Simulation Using SolidWorks and Visual Nastran Desktop 4D

1. Open SolidWorks.
2. Open Piston.sldasm file located in C:\Program Files\VisualNastran2001\Tutorials\Chapter 07
\Exercise 7.4 - SolidWorks directory.
3. Choose connect from visualNastran pulldown menu. A progress bar appears and your cad document
is exported to Visual Nastran for analysis.

4. After finishing export job Visual Nastran opens and a CAD Associativity window appears. Click OK.
Then Visual Nastran asks you whether you want to open Constrain Navigator or not. Click Yes.

5. The Constraint Navigator allows you to examine relationships among bodies, subassemblies, and
constraints so that you can verify and modify your simulation model. When visualNastran exports

the CAD model, it creates joints between parts of the assembly. The types of joints created
depends on the constraints and geometry of the CAD model. If the joints that visualNastran creates
are not given the appropriate degrees of freedom, the parts cannot move appropriately when you
run the simulation. To correct this problem, you should verify and adjust the joints between the
parts of the assembly as necessary to correctly specify the motion desired.
6. Click Next Constraint button
to start navigating and examining the joint created when
exporting CAD file into Nastran. When you click the button, joint is isolated for a better view. Your
screen should be similar to this.

7. Click the move button on the navigation toolbar

. Click on the crank and drag without
releasing the mouse button. You should be able to turn crank around the anchor since this is a
revolute joint. This joint is OK. Click next Constraint button on the constraint navigator.

8. Another revolute joint is isolated as you see above.

9. Click the move button and test the joint. Remember that this should be a rigid joint since Crank-1

and Crank-2 are rigidly connected. However when testing, you can see that Crank and the Pin can
move separately. Therefore, this joint should be converted to a rigid joint. Right click the
Concentric2 in the objects list window and select properties. Go to the Constraint tab and select
rigid joint.

10. Close this window and then click Next Constraint button.
11. Distance3, a revolute joint on plane is isolated.

12. This joint is not needed for the simulation because it is not actually a joint. You may create some
mates while in the CAD assembly steps in SolidWorks. This, for example, is a distance mate to keep
connecting rod in place with respect to Crank. However it is not needed by Visual Nastran.
Therefore it should be deleted.

13. Select Distance3, coord[24] on Crank-1, coord[26] on CONNECTING ROD-1 in the Connections List
window by selecting them with mouse clicks while keeping control key pushed. Then delete them
with del key.
14. Click next constraint button.

15. Another revolute joint is isolated.

16. Select move tool and test the joint. As you have noticed the pin can be turned around its axes as
well as moved laterally on the connecting rod. However it should only do the first one. Therefore
this constraint should be converted to a revolute joint.

17. Right click Concentric3 in Connections List window and select properties. Switch to the constraint
tab and select revolute joint. Close the properties window.
18. Click next constraint button.
19. This is again a redundant joint and it should be deleted. Select Parallel1, coord[32] on Crank-1,
coord[34] on CONNECTING ROD-1 in the Connections List window and press del key.

20. Click next constraint button on the Constraint Navigator.

21. Another revolute joint is isolated.

22. However as the other side of the crank, this constraint should also be a rigid joint. Therefore it
should be converted. Right click Concentric4 in the connections list and select properties. Highlight
Rigid Joint type and close the properties window.

23. Click next constraint button.

24. A parallel constraint is isolated. However this is again a redundant joint the two crank are already
rigidly connected by the crank pin and they are always parallel. Therefore, this constraint should be
deleted. Select Parallel2, coord[40] on Crank-1, coord[42] on Crank-2 in the connections list
window and press del key.

25. Click next constraint button.

26. Another revolute joint is isolated. Select move tool tool and test the constraint. As you have seen

this joint is OK.

27. Click next constraint button.

28. One more revolute joint is isolated. However, this constraint should be a rigid joint. Therefore it
should be converted.
29. Right click Concentric6 in the connections list window and select properties. Highlight Rigid Joint
and close properties window.
30. Now we have completed all the joints in this model. Click done button on the constraint navigator
.
31. The first step in simulating the motion of the piston assembly is to make sure that it is properly
anchored.
If no bodies in the assembly are anchored, the piston is floating in space and gravity will cause it to
fall when you run the simulation.
If too many bodies are anchored, the piston wont be able to move appropriately when you run the
simulation. When visualNastran imports the piston assembly from SolidWorks, it anchors the bodies
appropriately. No modifications are necessary. You are ready to run an initial simulation in
visualNastran.
Note: If a body is fixed in SolidWorks, it will be anchored in visualNastran. If a body floats in
SolidWorks, it will not be anchored in visualNastran. By default, SolidWorks fixes the first body
brought into an assembly.
32. Run the simulation by pushing play button on Tape player control bar.
33. After some steady time connecting rod and the piston head will move like a pendulum due to the
gravity. To simulate a more realistic situation we have add some more constraints.
34. Press stop
of model.

and then reset

buttons on the tape player control bar to go to the initial state

35. First, We know that piston head should only move up and down without any rotation. Let us create
a constraint for this.

Before creation of the constraint first we have t create a coordinate (i.e. a place for that
constraint).
36. Click move around button
seen below.

37. Click the coordinate tool

center.

to see upper face of the piston head. Turn the model to a place as

and place a coordinate on the upper face of the piston head near the

38. Make sure that the newly created coordinate is selected and click Join/Create Constraint button
A window appears as below.

39. Select Rigid Joint on Slot and press Create button.

40. Choose Go Home in the View pulldown menu.

41. Now, let's put a motor to the connection between the anchor and Crank-1.
42. Select Anchor-1 in the object list and then right click Concentric1 in the Connections List window to
select properties.

43. Open Constraint tab of the properties window and choose revolute motor. Go to the motor tab.
After selecting Angular Velocity radio button, write 500 to the Value text box.

44. Click Close on the properties windows and run the simulation by pressing play button. You'll see a
running piston assembly.
45. We can put a variable force to the upper face of the piston head to simulate the combustion effects.
This would be a more realistic boundary condition then then putting a motor to the crank-1.
46. Orient the model with move around tool

to see upper face of the piston head.

47. Press point force button

and place the force on the piston near to the center.

48. Double click the force icon on the model to open properties windows.

49. Click Force tab and write -10 to the Fy component. Then Select Active tab and choose Active While
radio button. Press formula button
and write "and(body[12].v.z<=0, mag(body[4].w)<200

rpm)" to the opened formula window. Written formula means apply 10 Newtons force in minus Zdirection when velocity of piston head (body[12]) in minus Z-direction is negative and when
angular velocity of crank-1 (body[4]) is smaller then 200 rpm.

50. Click OK button on formula window and click close button on the properties window.
51.

Click play button

to run the simulation.

52. After you see the simulation click stop button

and reset button

53. You can also check whether crank-1 really rotates at 200 rpm's.
54. Select Crank-1 in the object list. Choose Meter from the Insert pulldown menu and then choose
Angular Velocity from Meter submenu.

55. Tiling Options window appears. Select Tile Horizontally radio button and click OK.
56. The screen is divided into two as seen below.

57. Select Display Settings from World pulldown menu and navigate to Units tab. Choose rpm from Rot.
Vel. combo box. Close the Display Settings window. Therefore we have set the unit of angular
velocity to rpm.
58. Right click Angular Velocity of Crank-1 object in the Connections List window and select properties.
Remove checks until only |W| leaves.

57. Click Play button

to run the simulation. You will see that after some increase in the angular
velocity of Crank-1, it will settle around 200 rpm's.

57. This concludes the Dynamic motion analysis. You can save your job in Visual Nastran format
(.wm3).