Results Postprocessing: Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight
Results Postprocessing
Chapter Overview
In this chapter, aspects of reviewing results will be
covered:
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
G.
H.
ANSYS Workbench Simulation
Training Manual
Viewing Results
Scoping Results
Exporting Results
Coordinate Systems & Directional Results
Solution Combinations
Stress Singularities
Error Estimation
Convergence
The capabilities described in this section are applicable to

all ANSYS licenses, except when noted otherwise
August
A. Viewing Results
When selecting a results branch, the Context toolbar displays ways of viewing results:
Min/Max
Legend Settings
Displacement Scaling
Display Method
Contour Settings
Animation Controls
Outline Display
Probe Tool
Slice Planes
Export AVI
Training Manual
Vector Display Controls
August
Displacement Scaling
For structural analyses (static, modal, buckling),
the deformed shape can be changed
By default, the scaling is automatically exaggerated
to visualize the structural response more clearly
The user can change to undeformed or actual deformation
No Displacement Scaling
Training Manual
Automatic Displacement Scaling
August
Legend Controls
Auto Select
Reset
Enter maximum/minimum
range for contours
Enter maximum/minimum
legend value or allow auto
selection
Training Manual
Color/Position/Size
Selectors
Contour number
selector
August
Display Method
The Geometry button controls the contour
display method. Four choices are possible:
Exterior
IsoSurfaces
Exterior is the default

display option and is
most commonly used.
IsoSurfaces is useful
to display regions with
the same contour value.
Capped IsoSurfaces
Slice Planes
Capped IsoSurfaces
will remove regions of
the model where the
contour values are
above (or below) a
specified value.
Slice Planes allow a
user to cut through the
model visually. A
capped slice plane is
also available, as shown
on the left.
Model shown is from a sample Inventor assembly.
Training Manual
August
Contour Settings
The Contours button controls the way in
which contours are shown on the model
Smooth Contours
Isolines
Contour Bands
Solid Fill
Training Manual
August
Outline Display
The Edges button allows the user show the
undeformed geometry or mesh
No Wireframe
Show Undeformed Model
Show Undeformed Wireframe
Show Elements
Training Manual
August
Slice Planes
When in Slice Plane viewing mode, slice planes
can be added and edited
To add a slice plane, simply select the Draw Slice Plane

icon, then click-drag with the left mouse across the Graphics
window. The path created will define the slice plane.
To edit a slice plane, select the Edit Planes icon. The
defined planes will have a handle in the Graphics window.
Drag the handle to move the slice plane
Click on one side of the bar to show capped slice display
Select the handle, then hit the Delete key to remove plane
Handles of 3 defined slice planes
Move a slice plane by dragging handle
Click on one side of bar to cap view
Training Manual
August
Min/Max and Probe
Training Manual
The min/max symbols can be removed by selecting

the Maximum and Minimum buttons
Results can be queried on the model by selecting the

Probe button
Left-mouse click to add an annotation of the value being
queried on the model.
Use the Label button
annotations
to select and delete unwanted
August
. . . Probe Tool
The Probe object (previous page) allows
users to annotate a result at a particular
location on a contour plot
The Probe Tool allows you to scope a result

object to a location and make that result
parametric
The Probe tool can be scoped to geometry

or located using a coordinate system
The orientation of the result item can be

with respect to global or local coordinate
systems
Training Manual
August
. . . Probe Tool
Probe Tool example:
Local coordinate system defined as
shown
Probe tool located at local CS
Stress results (all) requested
Local CS
Probe Tool
Training Manual
August
Animation Controls
Training Manual
The animation toolbar allows user to play, pause, and stop animations
Note: animations are accessed via the tab at the bottom of the graphics screen
Start/Stop/Pause
Control resolution and speed
Distributed animation interpolates results

while results sets animates only solution
points.
Note: pause feature available

during playback
Export video
(avi) file
August
Alerts
Alerts are simple ways of check to see if a scalar
result quantity satisfies a criterion
Alerts can be used on most contour results except for vector

results, Contact Tool results, and Shape Finder
Simply highlight that result branch RMB and insert an Alert
In the Details view, specify the criterion
In the Outline tree, a green checkmark indicates

that the criterion is satisfied. A red exclamation
mark indicates that the criterion was not satisfied.
Training Manual
August
Manipulating the Legend

For exterior contour plots, the legend can
be manipulated to show result distributions
more clearly.
Original Contour Legend
Modified Contour Legend
Training Manual
August
Manipulating the Legend

Capped IsoSurfaces are manipulated
by an independent controller
Icons allow isosurface, top or bottom

capped plots
The striped areas of the legend show

what values will not be displayed
The cap threshold can be controlled via

the slider or by typing the value directly
Capped/Top/Isosurface
Display
Training Manual
Threshold Controls
August
Vector Plots
Vector plots involve any result quantity with direction, such

as deformation, principal stresses/strains, and heat flux
Activate vectors for appropriate quantities using the vector
graphics icon
Once the vectors are visible their appearance can be modified
using the vector display controls (see next slide for examples)
Vector Length Control
Proportional Vectors
Equal Length Vectors
Grid Aligned
Vector Length Control
Element Aligned
Line Form
Training Manual
Solid Form
August
Vector Plots
Examples
Solid Form, Grid Aligned
Proportional Length
Line Form, Grid Aligned
Training Manual
Equal Length
August
Multiple Viewports
Using multiple viewports is especially useful for
postprocessing, where more than one result
can be viewed at the same time
Useful to compare multiple results, such as results from
different environments or multiple mode shapes
Training Manual
August
Default Settings
Under Tools > Options > Simulation: Graphics, the
default graphics settings can be changed.
This way, each user can make all results for new simulations
be displayed to his/her preference
Training Manual
August
B. Scoping Results
Sometimes, limiting the display of results is useful when

postprocessing
Scoping automatically scales the legend and only shows the
applicable surface(s) or part(s), making result viewing easier
Scoping results on edges produces a path plot, allowing users
to see detailed results along selected edges
Results scoping is very useful for convergence controls
(discussed later in this chapter)
When using Contact Tool, Simulation automatically scopes
contact results to contact regions.
Results scoping can be performed on any result item in the

Solution branch for any type of geometric quantity
Training Manual
August
Scoping Surface/Part Results
To scope contour results, simply do either of the following:

Select part(s) or surface(s), then request the result of interest
Select the result item, then click on Geometry in the Details
view. Select the part(s) or surface(s), then click on Apply
When this is performed, the Details view of the result item

will indicate that results will be shown only for the selected
items.
The displayed values will show non-selected surfaces/parts as
translucent.
Training Manual
August
Scoping Surface/Part Results

Some examples of scoping results on surfaces/parts:
Stress results on selected surfaces
Scoping results on a single part
Vector Principal Stresses on single part
Training Manual
August
Scoping Edge & Vertex Results

Results can be scoped to a single edge
Select a single edge for results scoping
A path plot of the result mapped on the edge will be displayed
In a similar manner, results can also be scoped to a single

vertex. No contour results will be displayed since only a
vertex is present, but the value will reported in the Details
view for the selected vertex
Training Manual
August
Renaming Scoped Results

For scoped results, it is often useful to automatically
rename the result branch
Right-click on the result branch and select Rename Based on

Definition. The name will become more descriptive.
The result branch name is now more
descriptive, indicating it is a scoped
result on a given edge.
Renaming result branches is also
useful for directional results, as it will
change the name to the direction of the
stress or deformation or heat flux.
Training Manual
August
C. Exporting Results
Training Manual
Tabular data from Simulation can be exported to Excel for

further data manipulation
To export Worksheet tab information, do the following:

Select the branch and click on the Worksheet tab
Right-click the same branch and select Export
This can be used for Geometry, Contact, Environment,
Frequency Finder, Buckling, and Harmonic Worksheets
To export Contour Results

Right-click on the result branch of interest and select Export
This can be used for any result item of interest
Node numbers and result quantities will be exported
Exporting large amounts of data can take some CPU time
August
Exporting Results
Training Manual
Usually, for result items, the internal ANSYS node number

and result quantity will be output as shown below.
To include node locations, change this option under Tools

menu > Options > Simulation: Export
August
Exporting Results
For principal stresses and strains, additional information of

the orientation needs to be included when export to .XLS:
The generated Excel file will have 6 fields:
The first three correspond to the maximum, middle and minimum
principal quantities (stresses or strains).
The last three correspond to the ANSYS Euler angle sequence
(CLOCAL command in ANSYS) required to produce a coordinate
system whose X, Y and Z-axis are the directions of maximum,
middle and minimum principal quantities, respectively. This Euler
angle sequence is ThetaXY, ThetaYZ and ThetaZX and orients the
principal coordinate system relative to the global system.
Training Manual
August
D. Coordinate Systems
If coordinate systems are defined, a new item will be
displayed in the Details view of directional results:
As shown below, one can select from defined coordinate

systems. The selected coordinate system will define x-, y-,
and z-axes
Direction Deformation, Normal/Shear Stress/Strain, and
Directional Heat Flux can use coordinate systems
Principal stress/strain have their own angles associated with them
Other result items are scalars, so there are no directions
associated with it
Training Manual
August
Coordinate Systems
For the model shown below, one local
cylindrical coordinate system is defined
Note that displaying Deformation in the xdirection in the global and local coordinate
systems will show different results.
If the user wants to see what is the radial

displacement at the larger hole, a local cylindrical coordinate
system allows to visualize this type of displacement.
Deformation in Global X-Direction
Deformation in Local Cylindrical X-Direction
Training Manual
August
E. Solution Combinations
For ANSYS Professional licenses and above, the Solution

Combination branch can be added to the Model branch to
provide combinations of existing Environment branches
Solution combinations are only valid for linear static structural
analyses
Linear combinations are only valid if the analyses are linear
(Chapter 4)
Thermal-stress and other types of analyses are not supported
The supports must be the same between Environments for the
results to be valid. Only the loading can change to allow for
solution combinations
Solution combination calculations are very quick and do not
require a re-solve
ANSYS License
DesignSpace Entra
DesignSpace
Professional
Structural
Mechanical/Multiphysics
Training Manual
Availability
x
x
x
August
To perform solution combinations, do the following:
Add a Solution Combination branch. The Worksheet view will

appear
In the Worksheet view, add Environments and a coefficient
(multiplier). The solution combination will be the sum of the
multiples of the various Environments selected.
Request results from the
Context toolbar. These
results will reflect the sum
of the products of the
selected Environments
ANSYS License
DesignSpace Entra
DesignSpace
Professional
Structural
Training Manual
Availability
x
x
x
August
For example, consider the case below of a sample model

with two environments
Environment
Environment 3
Solution Combination Results
ANSYS License
DesignSpace Entra
DesignSpace
Professional
Structural
Training Manual
Availability
x
x
x
August
F. Stress Singularities
In most finite-element analyses as the mesh is refined one

expects to get mathematically more precise results.
Quantities directly solved for (degrees of freedom) such as
displacements and temperatures, converge without problems
Derived quantities, such as stresses, strains, and heat flux,
should also converge as the mesh is refined, but not as fast or
smooth as DOF
In some cases derived quantities such as stresses and heat
flux will not converge as the mesh is refined. These are
situations where these values are artificially high
Training Manual
August
In a linear static structural analysis, there are several
sources which may cause artificially high stresses:
Stress singularities
Geometry discontinuities, such as reentrant
corners (shown on right)
Point/edge loads and constraints
Fixed supports and other constraints which prevent Poissons
effect
Fixed supports and other constraints which prevent thermal
expansion
In the above situations, refining the mesh at the artificially

high stress area will keep increasing the stresses
Model shown is from a sample Mechanical Desktop assembly.
Training Manual
August
Training Manual
If the singularity is not in an area of interest one can usually scope

results only on parts or surfaces of interest
If the singularity is in the area of interest there are several ways to

obtain more accurate stress results:
Stress singularities
Model geometry with fillets or other details which do not cause geometric
discontinuities
Apply loads spread over areas rather than point loading
Overconstraints
A Fixed Support is an idealization, and modeling the constraint properly may
be required (possibly including the geometry on which the part is
connected)
Although the above are some suggestions, these usually involve

additional effort or more nodes/elements, so it is up to the user to
review the results and understand if and why stresses may be
artificially high.
August
G. Error Estimation
Training Manual
You can insert an Error result based on stresses (structural),

or heat flux (thermal) to help identify regions of high error
(see example next page)
These regions show where the model would benefit from a

more refined mesh in order to get a more accurate answer
Regions of high error also indicate where refinement will

take place if convergence is used
August
. . . Error Estimation
Training Manual
Error plot shows region where element mesh refinement

may be necessary.
Error is plotted in terms of energy.
August
H. Convergence
Training Manual
As noted earlier, as the mesh is refined, the mathematical

model becomes more accurate. However, there is
computational cost associated with a finer mesh.
Obtaining an optimal mesh requires the following:

Having criteria to determine if a mesh is adequate
Investing more elements only where needed
Performing these tasks manually is cumbersome and

inexact
The user would have to manually refine the mesh, resolve, and
compare results with previous solutions.
Simulation has convergence controls to automate adaptive

mesh refinement to a user-specified level of accuracy
August
Convergence
To use this feature, simply select a
result item RMB and insert
Convergence
In the Details of the Convergence branch
select the max or min value for
convergence and allowable change (20%
default)
In the Details view of the Solution
branch, input the
max number of refinement loops per
solve
Input a reasonable value, such as 1 to 4,
so that Simulation will not try to refine the
mesh indefinitely.
Training Manual
August
Convergence
Simulation will automatically refine the mesh and resolve

At least two iterations are required (initial solution and first
refinement loop)
The Max Refinement Loops is used to specify the number of
allowable iterations (2 to 4 max loops is usually sufficient)
The mesh will automatically be refined only in areas deemed

necessary based on error approximation techniques
The convergence information is stored in
the Convergence branch
Not converged: a red exclamation mark will appear
Converged: a green checkmark will be shown
The result branches will display only the last solution
Training Manual
August
Convergence
After the solution is complete, one can view the results and
the last mesh
Note that the mesh is refined only where needed, as shown in
the example below
The Convergence branch shows the trend for each refinement
loop as well as the values and number of nodes and elements
in the mesh
Training Manual
August
Convergence & Stress Singularities
As mentioned earlier there are some causes for artificially

high stresses
Stress singularities are theoretically infinite so Simulations
adaptive mesh refinement will be affected
By specifying a reasonable value for the Max Refinement
Loops, this will allow the user to know quickly whether a
stress singularity or other type of artificially high stress
source is present
In this case, it is clear that the stresses

will increase without bound.
By examining the model, it was clear
that a stress singularity existed, which
explains why the stresses do not
converge as it normally would.
Training Manual
August
Convergence & Scoping
Besides adding details to remove stress singularities, one

can also converge on scoped results
If the artificially high stress region is not of interest, one can
scope results on selected part(s) or surface(s) and add
convergence controls to those results only
This provides the user with control on where to perform mesh
refinement
This also allows the user to ignore areas of artificially high
stresses which are not of interest
Training Manual
August
Convergence & Scoping Example

For example, consider the simple part below
The part below contains geometric discontinuities as shown

For a given set of loading conditions if the user knew that the
bottom of the part was failing this may be the region of
interest
Possible stress singularity
Training Manual
Region of interest
Model shown is from a sample Mechanical Desktop assembly.
August
Convergence & Scoping Example
The solution becomes

very costly by including
the stress singularity.
On the other hand,

convergence controls
on scoped results
allows for adaptive
refinement only in userspecified locations,
providing the user with
more control over the
mesh and the adaptive
solution.
In this way, the user can
get accurate stresses
on the bottom surface
of the part.
If convergence controls
were simply added to
the entire model, the
geometric discontinuity
would cause a stress
singularity which
increases without
bounds.
Training Manual
August
Results Not Used with Convergence

Convergence cannot be used on the following result
quantities:
Any type of vector result
Contact Tool results
Frequency Finder stress/strain results
Buckling stress/strain results
Harmonic analysis results
Shape Finder results
Fatigue Tool graph results
Training Manual
August
Convergence Summary
Convergence Details:
the percent change is related to the previous solution. This

is not percent error
Convergence controls do not compensate for inaccurate
assumptions
Convergence controls trigger adaptive mesh refinement. Each
solution will take longer than the previous one
Scoping results which contain convergence controls helps to
minimize mesh density by isolating the areas of interest
Training Manual
August
I. Workshop 8 Advanced Results Processing

Workshop 8 Advanced Results Processing
Goal:
Analyze the high pressure vent assembly shown below and
then use some of the advanced postprocessing features to
review the stress and deflection results.
Training Manual
August

Results Postprocessing: Chapter Eight

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Chapter Eight

ANSYS Workbench Simulation

The capabilities described in this section are applicable to

ANSYS Workbench Simulation

Vector Display Controls

ANSYS Workbench Simulation

Automatic Displacement Scaling

ANSYS Workbench Simulation

Exterior is the default

Model shown is from a sample Inventor assembly.

ANSYS Workbench Simulation

ANSYS Workbench Simulation

Show Undeformed Model

Show Undeformed Wireframe

ANSYS Workbench Simulation

To add a slice plane, simply select the Draw Slice Plane

Handles of 3 defined slice planes

Move a slice plane by dragging handle

Click on one side of bar to cap view

ANSYS Workbench Simulation

Min/Max and Probe

The min/max symbols can be removed by selecting

Results can be queried on the model by selecting the

to select and delete unwanted

ANSYS Workbench Simulation

The Probe Tool allows you to scope a result

The Probe tool can be scoped to geometry

The orientation of the result item can be

ANSYS Workbench Simulation

ANSYS Workbench Simulation

Control resolution and speed

Distributed animation interpolates results

Note: pause feature available

ANSYS Workbench Simulation

Alerts can be used on most contour results except for vector

In the Outline tree, a green checkmark indicates

ANSYS Workbench Simulation

Manipulating the Legend

Original Contour Legend

Modified Contour Legend

ANSYS Workbench Simulation

Manipulating the Legend

Icons allow isosurface, top or bottom

The striped areas of the legend show

The cap threshold can be controlled via

ANSYS Workbench Simulation

Vector plots involve any result quantity with direction, such

Vector Length Control

Equal Length Vectors

Vector Length Control

ANSYS Workbench Simulation

Solid Form, Grid Aligned

Line Form, Grid Aligned

ANSYS Workbench Simulation

ANSYS Workbench Simulation

ANSYS Workbench Simulation

Sometimes, limiting the display of results is useful when

Results scoping can be performed on any result item in the

ANSYS Workbench Simulation

Scoping Surface/Part Results

To scope contour results, simply do either of the following:

When this is performed, the Details view of the result item

ANSYS Workbench Simulation